For There To Be Light
by SiofraPrince
Summary: Part 3 of Yin/Yang Trilogy. Secrets are coming to light that should have stayed hidden. Truths will be told. Loyalties and friendships will be tested. Trust will be broken. Ghosts will be exorcised. There will be death.
1. Bound for Gory

**_Hey everyone, I'm back. So, life threw me a curveball in the shape of failing assignments and mental breakdowns two weeks before exams, with the feelings of inadequacy, stress and lack of real friends. I, unfortunately, could not yell "PLOT TWIST" and move on._**

 ** _I had become side-tracked with where this story was going, and was focused on making my characters too powerful, or unrealistic, and I realized this when I read the plot for this story._**

 ** _Yes, all of them are powerful, but not at the expense of nothing. There is only so much that the human body can take before it shuts down; Naru is a good example. I needed to re-write some of the rules where Lin's shiki applied, and where some of Lin's power actually came from._**

 ** _There is so much that I needed to do to pull this story back on track, as well as my life, so it was put on hold for a long time, in order to cope with schoolwork and counselling sessions. I'm not going to apologize for taking so long; I am in the middle of winter, and winter means exams, and come summer, more exams, and all sorts of practical assessments that pop up._**

 ** _._**

 ** _Hopefully, the wait is well worth it._**

 ** _Tori._**

* * *

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

* * *

Cho could count the number of times she had done something stupid on one hand. That was because her uncle was a no-nonsense kind of guy, and he wasn't above disciplining her if she got too out of hand, usually in the form of a scathing lecture, complete with his '' _I'm very disappointed in you, did I not raise you better?"_ face.

This moment, however, as they were running through the forest from some sort of cult group who were all set on killing herself and Rose for some pagan god who needed a virgin sacrifice, was nearing the top of her list, right after pranking her uncle with flour bombs and water.

.

Rose's ankle was all healed, so it made running easier, but they were drastically at a disadvantage, because they had no idea where they were. Normally, when her uncle let her go on a school trip, he'd make her memorize all of the surrounding area, so that if the occasion arose, she'd know where to run. When they had left Panther's, Cho had assumed that they were near Mt. Aso.

.

Obviously not.

.

Rose stumbled behind her, and Cho spun, ready to help her up, until she saw why.

.

Rose had an arrow in her thigh.

.

Cho closed her eyes, and grabbed Rose's hand, even as the cult caught up with them.

.

Everything went black.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

To say Koujo was furious was an understatement. In fact, Oliver wasn't too sure he had seen the Chinese man this angry before. Sure, there was the annoyed angry, and the frustrated angry, but if Oliver didn't know better, he would say that this was a _concerned_ angry.

Nevertheless, whoever was on the end of the phone was receiving a tongue lashing.

.

"Let me get this straight. You, a highly paid and successful assassin, somehow lost track of two sixteen year old girls, in your own territory, and are now looking for them, despite the fact that they went missing _three days ago_?"

.

There was a quick explanation, and Oliver watched as Koujo exploded into angry Chinese, causing Maya to wince, and Ren to block her ears. Whatever he was saying, it wasn't pleasant, or worth repeating.

There was a pause, and then an acidic sounding comment coming from the other end of the line. Lin replied, just as coldly, and ended the call straight after. He ran a hand through his hair, and slumped against a wall, sliding down it until he hit the floor, his knees against his chest. There was a thick silence, and no one wanted to break it.

Lin rested his head on his knees, and his entire body language screamed _'exhaustion.'_ There was a breath of wind that flew past Oliver, before a wolf materialized next to Lin. Ayako looked to be holding back a scream, while Monk palmed his knife, and Mai took a step back.

The wolf, who Oliver now recognized as Láng, nudged his master with his nose, whining softly. Lin's hand reached out, and tangled in his coat, but that was the only movement he made. Láng whined again, pressing himself closer to Lin, and wrapping his tail around Lin's arm.

Maya moved forward slowly.

"Koujo?"

.

.

There was a knock on the door. It was a patterned knock; three short, two long, then three short. Before anyone could stop her, Ren ran up to the door, and opened it.

" _Imo_ Ruka!"

.

Ren hugged the curvaceous ginger, talking a million miles an hour in Korean. Ruka picked up Ren, and propped her on her hip. Ren tugged one of the curls, and giggled, when Ruka flicked her nose.

.

Mai frowned, trying to think where she'd seen her before. A memory was helpfully supplied, of Ruka at a kitchen table, with piles of books around her, but Mai pushed it away, digging into her more recent memories, until it hit her.

Mai froze, her eyes wide.

"Tanaka-sensei?"

.

Ruka turned to look at her, frowning, before looking her up and down, face scrunched.

"You don't _look_ like one of my interns. How old are you?"

"Ruka,' Maya interrupted,' she knows."

Ruka blinked, before her face cleared. She turned back to Mai, shaking her head.

"Tanaka-sensei is my older sister. I'm a lawyer. As for you, young lady…" Ruka turned towards Maya, glaring. Maya slumped in her seat, attempting to become one with the wall.

.

"What now?"

Ruka raised an eyebrow at the defiant tone, before launching into a rather impressive lecture.

"You are the most irresponsible, reckless, immature, hare-brained girl I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. No matter how many times Koujo and I tell you _not_ to use your necklace as a go-to for exorcisms, you still do. Has it ever occurred to you what would happen if the space in the gem ran out? Your mother made it for protection. Hell, we watched her carve the runes and add the spells to it, and we know that it was never meant to be used for housing _any_ spirit, let alone a malicious one!"

.

"But I didn't." Maya muttered. Ruka paused, and placed Ren on the ground.

"What did you say?" Ruka whispered, her voice screaming danger.

Mai shivered, and moved closer to Naru, who was watching with interest.

.

"I didn't fail. If you have room in your thinking for failure, then you will fail. If you believe that you will succeed, then you will. It's all about the attacker's mind-set."

Maya folded her arms, glaring back at Ruka. Ruka huffed, and clenched her teeth.

"I don't have time to deal with this. Where's Koujo?"

Maya jerked her head towards the wall, where Lin hadn't moved from his position. Ruka swore, and started towards him, crouching down in front of him.

"Koujo? Ko, can you hear me?"

.

She touched his knee.

.

.

.

The world exploded into white light.

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

Madoka Mori was having a well-deserved break. Currently, she was sitting at a small, out of the way table in an old fashioned café, opposite her boyfriend of numerous years, Tajo Li.

.

Dr Tajo Li was 25 (very young for a doctor, but he worked his ass off for it), and ran a small hospital near the red-light districts of Shibuya, called Misfits. He was tall, with messy black hair that had some red highlights in it, and, Madoka thought, the most amazing eyes in the world. One eye was a dark blue, and the other was a vibrant green.

.

As Madoka sipped her tea and chatted with Tajo about small things, and occasionally ranting about impossible patients and certain teenagers with obscene powers, a burst of power filled the air.

.

Madoka had the strange experience of suffocating. Sure, it was difficult to breathe normally in the city, but this felt cloying, and heavy. Shortly after, a flare of white light raced along the ground, followed closely by a flare of green, silver and gold, her back itched, and her hand went to the small tattoo that sat behind her left ear, which was normally covered by her hair.

It was pulsing in time with her heartbeat, and felt inflamed. She swore softly.

.

Tajo, having a large amount of PK-LT, received the more unfortunate side effects.

His head felt like it had exploded, and he doubled over, the shadows thankfully hiding his reaction from the rest of the café. His body felt like he had just experienced the entirety of Shibuya's injuries, from grazed knees to bullet wounds to acid burns, and he gritted his teeth against the moan of pain that threatened to push itself past his lips.

The tattoo of his sister's name flared to life across his left shoulder blade, and something inside his core snapped, shattered, fused, realigned, reshaped and finally settled with a dull throbbing, that pulsated along with his rapidly pounding heart.

His eyes locked with Madoka's, and something clicked.

.

"Shit."

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

* * *

Kasumi Moriko prided herself on being the best in the business. Being an assassin was dangerous work, yet she had managed to live to thirty, while other active assassin's died off around eighteen. However, as she ran through the forest that spanned throughout her territory, she cursed every deity that she could think of (and making some up on the spot) that she hadn't been paying attention to Wildcat's niece.

.

Kasumi, known more commonly as Panther among the assassin circles, hadn't considered that the two girls may have tried to make a break for it once the English girl, Rose, was healed, and had paid dearly for it. Not only was the phone call to Wildcat a complete disaster in terms of getting her point across (not that she could ever win an argument against him), but she may have mentioned that she had an early start.

.

Skidding to a halt around a small grove of yew trees, she paused, catching her breath. There had been signs of a struggle here, recently, and there was blood on the ground.

A lot of it.

Examining the area around the site, she spotted a small symbol carved into the base of the tree. Looking closer, she exploded into Chinese, a stream of vernacular that would have made the most hardened sailor blush.

.

Looking around, she spotted another one, where they must have picked up the other girl. Picking up her cell phone, she dialled an old friend of hers, back from the glory days of ring-fighting. They picked up on the second ring.

" _Hawk, reporting in."_

Panther replied, her voice curt.

"It's Panther. Centipede is here."

.

" _Damn it all to hell."_

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

In a small, out-of-the-way house, a woman called Fox paused while kneading bread, her PK tingling. Her shiki, Xia, paused in sharpening her knives, and looked out of the window. A wolf spirit that had made itself at home in Fox's kitchen sat up, head cocked to one side and ears pricked.

Fox tilted her head, and walked outside, digging her toes into the damp soil, and taking deep breaths. Energy snapped and crackled around her form as her fingers danced in intricate patterns in the air in front of her, as she tried to find the disturbance in the atmosphere. Grasping at threads, and discarding them just as quickly, she searched, before she found one that had a familiar feeling to it.

.

Grabbing the strand, she tugged on it, trying to find the reason of the disturbance, before it stung her. With a hiss of pain, she let it go, rubbing her wrist where it had lashed out at her. Shaking her hand, she sorted through the feelings that she had gathered from the strand, before she sighed.

.

.

.

"Fucking wonderful."

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

Deep within a cave system, the assassin known as Centipede watched over his captives with a sadistic smile curving his lips, eyes roaming over the two teenage girls.

.

.

With a cruel laugh, he walked away, mind plotting his enemy's demise.

.

"Soon Wildcat,' he muttered gleefully,' you'll be mine. I will have my revenge."

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

 **Teaser. Yes, I know that it isn't enough after an obscenely long break, but this was all that my mind could come up with. Some excerpts, before we get into the real heavy stuff. Hopefully, this will help me outline the story better.**

 **Till the next chapter!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori.**

 **.**

 **.**


	2. Dark Eyes

**TA DA! The second instalment is here! That you to** **'D C JoKeR H S', who was the only reviewer for the last chapter. JoKeR, this one is for you. I'm supposed to be revising for Chemistry (Organic, bleh), but I decided to post this. Enjoy!**

* * *

.

.

.

.

Koujo was pissed.

.

No, he was beyond pissed. He was exceptionally livid. Not only had the third person he trusted most in the world (she had been fourth, after Tori, Tajo and Madoka, but he had to revise a few years ago) _lost his niece_ , she'd failed to tell him about it immediately, and now Cho was missing, as well as Rose.

.

' _Tendency to lose students'_ doesn't look good on the recommendations for _Outcasts_.

.

After Koujo had ended the call, he leaned against the wall, before sliding down, legs feeling weak.

' _I've failed her. I've failed them. I've failed. Failed. Failed. FAILED!'_

The words circled through his mind viciously, and reminded him of what he'd lost.

' _Mother, Mei, Ai, Toru, Ji, Tao, Grandfather, Mamoru, Jia, Lucy, Rosaline, Amaya, Tori, Cho, Rose, Tori, Cho, Ai, Toru, Kenji, Tori, Cho, Grandfather, Kenji, Mamoru, Rose, Cho, Tori, Mother, Mei, Ai, Toru, Ji, Tao, Grandfather, Mamoru, Jia, Lucy, Rosaline, Amaya, Tori, Cho, Rose, Mother, Mei, Ai, Toru, Ji, Tao, Grandfather, Mamoru, Jia, Lucy, Rosaline, Amaya, Tori, Cho, Rose, Mother, Mei, Ai, Toru, Ji, Tao, Grandfather, Mamoru, Jia, Lucy, Rosaline, Amaya, Tori, Cho, Rose, Tori, Cho, Cho, Cho, CHO, CHO…'_

.

Panic was settling in, and Koujo felt himself losing it; on the way to a massive, Lin-sized breakdown. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, before his ribcage constricted, and he found it hard to breathe.

' _No, no, no, not Cho, please not her, please, haven't I lost enough?'_

.

A wet nose nudged against his arm, and Koujo reached out his hand, tangling his fingers into the coarse hair.

{ _Master?}_

Koujo tightened his grip on Láng's fur, but didn't say anything.

{ _Master, rid yourself of these thoughts. You haven't failed us.}_

Láng's tail wrapped around Koujo's arm, and Láng pressed himself closer to him. Koujo remained silent, thoughts still swirling around in his head. He just felt so… _tired_. From Gene, to Japan, to ghost hunting, back to England, supervising, back to Japan, demons, more ghost hunting, Cho going missing, being safe, missing again… it was far too much to handle within the space of a few months.

Koujo heard voices, before someone called his name.

.

Panic turned to anger once more; burning like hell-fire, and tearing through his control over his energy. Gathering the power up, he held it, trying to bring it back under control.

"Koujo? Ko, can you hear me?"

.

There was a feather-light touch to his knee, and Koujo released the energy in a magnified pulse.

.

' _Whoever you are, bastard, if you've injured my niece; be it emotional, physical or psychological, there will be no rock, crevice, abyss or labyrinth that will keep you safe from my wrath.'_

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

Houshou Takigawa was confused. He was so confused at that moment, that he could've been dressed in a wedding dress and thought it normal. So…Lin had done some freaky light show thing that _did not_ make him feel all warm and happy inside, and the woman, Ruka, had fallen over, and scrambled backwards on her hands in order to put distance between herself and Lin.

Not to mention that the wolf was _still_ standing next to Lin.

.

Yasu and Ayako had disappeared to the north end of the house, muttering something about chords and cameras, while Mai had dragged her sister and Ren off, telling them that she would show them how to pack up the microphones and then pack the van. That left Monk, Ruka and Naru in base with Lin.

.

Monk was wishing that he was anywhere _but_ base.

' _Should've gone with Ayako and Yasu to pack up the cameras. I have no idea why I'm still here.'_

The wolf whined once more, and Lin lifted his head, eyes blazing. Ruka took an involuntary step backwards, hands held up in front of her defensively. Monk fingered his knife, and Naru stood there, eyes narrowed.

"Koujo…" Ruka started, but Koujo held up a hand, stalling her.

.

Monk jumped when six people materialized out of thin air before Lin, all staring at him.

"Master,' the tallest one began; the one with white hair,' what do you need us for?"

Lin paused, his eyes raking over each of the assembled people in front of him. Monk frowned, as he re-evaluated his first impression.

' _They have no energy. Or rather, they don't have enough. Too much for a spirit, too less for a human, so…'_

"Demon." He muttered lowly, his _Vajra_ within easy reach. Lin had obviously heard him, shooting him a surprised look and raising his eyebrow, before eyeing the two red-haired women, and a grey haired man.

"Nomi, Iyaka and Láng. I need you to start at Panther's, and then follow Cho's trail. You may need to split up."

One of the red-haired women raised her own eyebrow at Koujo.

"Please." He added belatedly, biting his lip.

.

She nodded, and the three disappeared, leaving behind a wisp of smoke. The other demons disappeared as well, although the one who had spoken seemed to linger a bit longer, until Lin had given him a slight nod. Lin then took a deep breath, his usual stone mask descending over his face.

"Naru? We've finished packing up the microphones and cameras."

Mai's voice came from the doorway, where she stood with Ren and Maya. Naru raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment, and turned to Mai, who handed him her clipboard.

"Case closed?" she asked hopefully. Naru scanned the clipboard, before nodding, and handing it back to her.

"Is the van packed?"

Mai nodded, and Naru sighed.

"Case closed. Take your stuff to the van, we'll be there in a few minutes."

Mai hugged Naru, kissing him on the cheek, and shot off out the door, dragging Maya and Ren with her. Maya simply looked amused, while Ren seemed to be infected with the same energy Mai had. Yasu and Ayako came in after, grabbing some of their things, before they left to go to the vans, while Lin and Monk started to pack up base.

.

Monk paused when Lin did, and followed the older man's gaze to stare at Naru, who was still standing in the same spot where Mai had hugged him, his fingers lightly touching his cheek. Monk turned his gaze back to Lin, who was barely hiding a grin.

.

"Noll, snap out of it." Lin called, rolling up some monitor cords.

Naru continued to stand there.

.

" _Oliver."_ Lin called, a little sharper this time.

Naru flinched, and spun to face Lin.

"What?"

His tone was irritated, and Monk winced, but Lin merely rolled his eyes.

"Forget it. You're obviously off in la-la land with Mai."

Naru clenched his jaw.

"Shut. Up."

Monk stifled a smile, and continued to pack up the monitors, even as Naru stalked over to the shelves and started to deconstruct them with clinical detachment.

' _Yes,'_ he decided,' _definitely irritated.'_

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

* * *

Panther was so incredibly pissed off at the moment, she could have given Wildcat a run for his money.

.

Her nemesis from her ring-fighting days had finally tracked them down (the six people that Wildcat killed by himself may have had something to do with it), and had kidnapped Wildcat's niece, and had her hidden somewhere where Panther _couldn't find him_.

.

It was so damn frustrating.

.

And Wildcat was so incredibly annoyed at her.

.

Hawk, otherwise known as Professor Ying, stood beside her. Or rather, above her, perched in a tree. She liked high places.

.

"Beating yourself up over it isn't going to find them faster."

"Shut up, Hawk."

"You could call in the rest of the team, see if they've seen anything?"

" _Shut up_ , Hawk."

"Take a few deep breaths, and focus on Cho's signature. Or you could scent track her."

Panther sent her glare upwards.

"Don't make me come up there." She threatened.

.

Hawk grinned at her, and leapt up higher into the tree, trying to find a better vantage point to see things. Panther slumped to the ground, and rested her head in her hands.

"I'm surrounded by idiots."

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

Masako sat in the chair next to John's bed, reading a book. The young medium glanced at the priest frequently, noting down his pale features, and… _the scar._

A long, angry looking cut stretched from above his left eye, to his chin, cutting through his eyebrow, and leaving a gap. His eyelid had been split in half, and he was lucky to have not lost his sight. The doctors were optimistic about his recovery, but Masako knew better.

.

It was her fault that he had gotten hurt.

.

She'd looked too similar to the first girl, and John, who had accompanied her on her walkthrough, took the brunt of the attack.

He hadn't even had time to raise his hands, or grab his holy water.

Just a knife flying out of nowhere, and catching him in the leg and causing him to slump to the ground, before something sliced down his face. And the blood.

.

Far too much blood.

.

"I'm sorry, John." Masako whispered, running her fingers over the back of his hand.

He had a lot of scars on the backs of his hands for someone who was supposed to be peaceful. Some of them were silvery; old, and possibly careless in nature. Others were raised, and slightly pinkish. He had calluses on his fingers and knuckles as well.

Come to think of it, Naru had calluses like these, as did Lin and Monk.

"Must be a guy thing." She muttered.

.

She felt so useless on violent cases. Mai had a few new abilities that were defensive in nature, and Naru had his PK. Lin had his shiki, Monk his mantra's and even Ayako could use the Nine Cuts. John had Holy Water, and Nollene, frankly, could glare down any spirit. All she could do was see the stupid spirits.

.

There was an accelerated beeping noise coming from the heart monitor, and John's hand twitched, his fingers curling over hers. Masako blushed, and focused her attention on John's face, watching his eyelids flutter, before they opened.

A sky blue gaze fixed on her, with a surprising amount of steel in them for someone who just woke up. Masako shuddered at the flint-like look, before he blinked, and it was replaced with a slightly confused look.

.

"Ms. Hara?"

His voice was hoarse, and Masako handed him a glass of water from the table, which he took gratefully.

" _Arigato."_ He muttered, sipping slowly from the glass.

The sleeve of the hospital gown slipped, and Masako's eyes were drawn to the black mark that stood out in stark contrast to the normal white. It was a cross, but the ends were drawn to look sharp, so that it had more resemblance to a stake than a cross. There were silvery lines that were littered around the mark, and some of them were too straight to be accidents.

.

John noticed her gaze, and flushed, pulling the sleeve back up over his wrist, and placing the glass on the side table. Masako swallowed, as the full ramifications of what was on his wrist hit her.

"I…" she began.

"It doesn't matter." John said, waving his hand dismissively, although his voice held something that sounded like nervousness, and a small bit of tension.

Masako frowned.

"Does Yasu…?"

"No." John shook his head. "I always wear long sleeves. I…didn't want him to pity me."

.

Masako bit her lip.

"Why?"

John shook his head, and he gazed out the window, eyes fixed on something that couldn't be seen.

"It doesn't matter." He repeated softly, fingers tracing over the tattoo absentmindedly.

Masako nodded, a little frustrated at his lack of response, and stood.

"I'll call the nurse."

.

If John had heard her, he didn't show it. His fingers continued to trace the tattoo, and sometimes the marks around it, as he stared out of the window, sky blue eyes distant and far away.

Before she shut the door behind her, she heard him quietly murmur,

"It's never mattered."

* * *

.

.

.

.

* * *

Nollene sat on the couch in her and Noll's flat, curled up with a pillow and chocolate, watching one of her favourite TV series.

She had felt the pulse from Lin, and soon after, Madoka had dropped by to check on her. She had also just met Madoka's boyfriend of Lord-know-how-long. He was a pretty decent guy, and put up with Madoka's…eccentric nature with surprisingly good humour.

.

Her head was still throbbing, and her body felt out of sorts, so she was confined to bed rest for a week. The good news was that Noll was coming back, after they had finished the case, so she could annoy him and pester him for details about the case. And Mai.

.

Especially Mai.

.

It was really funny to see her usually emotionally stunted brother dance around the subtle language that made up social interaction, but at the same time, it was quite sad. It did, in some way, remind her of the times Gene would drag Noll out with his friends, when Noll would sit in the corner and hide in the shadows that were cast by his twin.

.

Yet Noll never resented Gene for that.

.

"You look tired."

.

The words came out of nowhere, and Nollene jumped, before she groaned and grabbed her head as the world spun. Then there were cool hands pressing on her forehead, and Nollene was being made to lie back down on the couch.

" _Baka._ "

The word was spoken with fondness, and Nollene knew instantly who it was.

" _Gaki._ "

She replied, hearing a small chuckle at the insult. She opened her eyes, and her gaze met midnight blue. Oliver looked at her, a disapproving look on his face. Nollene searched her mind for what she could have done wrong (apart from being targeted on a case) and came up blank.

"What?"

.

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"You've done three things wrong. First, you've stolen one of my t-shirts. Second, you stole my chocolate and third…"

Noll helped Nollene sit up, before he occupied the space where her head had been, and pushed her down again, his hand stroking through her hair. Nollene sighed, and then yawned, as the warmth from another human being started to make her feel better.

"Third?" she asked drowsily, eyes starting to shut, even as she heard Noll whisper a reply.

.

"You started the Doctor Who marathon without me. That's unforgivable."

.

.

.

.

.

.

 **TA DA! Again, thanks to my only reviewer, out of over twenty viewers. I sincerely hope the wait was worth it.**

 **Please, for the love of everything that it Fanfiction, review! Tell me what you want to see in the next chapter! Monk/Ayako fluff?! New Case!? REVIEW, MINIONS! I'm on study leave in four days!**


	3. Stolen Kisses

**Two reviewers.**

 **Out of 221 views.**

 **Is my story really that bad?**

 **Again, thanks to the Joker (I'm going to shorten your name, you know who you are), and Sierrapeyton, who reviewed.**

 **This chapter will be focused mainly on John, Yasu and Ayako, because I definitely don't give them enough screen time, and, I admit guiltily, I left the cliff-hanger with John for a reason. More of his backstory coming up.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

 _Aquamarine met Sky, fixed into vicious glares._

 _Brown contrasted with Blonde; two righteous angels locked in a battle of wits, insults and anger._

 _._

 _"What in Mary's name was that? You don't throw a mission like that, John."_

 _John clenched his fists, hiding the tremble that always came when he was angry._

 _"Perhaps if you'd notified me of what we were dealing with, we wouldn't be in this mess."_

 _._

 _In the corner, three young men and a young woman loitered amongst the shadows, simultaneously trying to act like they weren't paying attention, while trying to edge their way forward._

 _The woman was the eldest, with curly blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and the same aquamarine eyes as the man yelling. Her name was Esther, and ever since her mother had died when she was sixteen, she'd had to take care of her younger siblings, while her father worked. Strapped to her back was a giant claymore, inscripted with arcane writings that flashed the same blue as her eyes._

 _The first young man had dark brown hair, also with the curls, and very, very dark blue eyes, that could pass as black in certain light. His name was Matthew, and he was the eldest Brown boy. He was two years younger than Esther, and had a rather…explosive temper, much like the equipment that sat in his backpack._

 _The second young man had a mixture of blonde and brown hair, with a white streak in the fringe, and white-blue eyes. He was Mark, the oldest middle brother. His fingers hovered over his gun uncertainly as the arguing rose to a crescendo._

 _The third man was distinctly Japanese, with long hair tied back in a ponytail, and black eyes. Adopted into the Brown family at six, Luke was the peacemaker between the five siblings, but never hesitated to dive into a fight if someone was being threatened. A long, curved sword hung at his side, a set of throwing knives next to it._

 _._

 _._

 _The older, dark haired man loomed over John, eyes flashing._

 _"You froze out there, John. You were afraid."_

 _"Yes, I was." John snapped, nearing the end of his patience. "I had no idea what I was up against, it's my third mission in the field, and my holy water had broken. Of course I was going to be afraid that I was going to be eaten."_

 _John spun around, stalking towards the door, his coat billowing out behind him._

 _._

 _._

 _"Coward."_

 _._

 _The word fell into the silence; ugly and venomous, filled with spiteful malice. John stopped, and turned around, eyes narrowed._

 _"What did you just call me?"_

 _The man sneered._

 _"You heard me. You're a coward, John Malachi Brown, and I'm ashamed to be your father."_

 _._

 _John let loose a yell of anger, and went to strike at the man, but Luke and Mark grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back and holding him, while Esther and Matthew stood between the two._

 _"That was too far, Dad. I knew you were an asshole, but that really takes the cake." Esther spat, glaring at the man. Matthew placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off, standing tall._

 _"Stay out of this, woman. Know your place." Peter Brown derided, his tone lofty._

 _Esther gritted her teeth, and stepped back at Matthew's urging. John threw off Mark and Luke's arms, standing tall._

 _"You're a sadistic prick, Peter Brown,' he spat,' and I hope that I never see you again."_

 _John spun around, and made to move out of the room, but Peter's voice stopped him._

 _"Where are you going, boy?"_

 _John looked over his shoulder._

 _"As far away from you as possible."_

 _._

 _He stalked out of the room, head held high, and shoulders back. The door slammed shut behind him, and all the younger people in the room turned to face Peter._

 _"That was nicely handled." Esther snarled, following her youngest brother out of the door. She was followed by the rest of her younger brothers, all moving in sync and in formation, leaving their father in an empty and rapidly cooling room._

 _._

 _The door shut with a_ thump _, and Peter looked to the far corner of the room, where scorch marks flared across the wall and floor. He smiled to himself, and let loose a low chuckle._

 _._

 _"Yes, it was handled very nicely."_

 _._

 _._

 _Two hours later, John Brown sat on a plane heading for Tokyo, his destination a small church in Shibuya, where an acquaintance of Luke's would pick him up. He stared at the mark that had appeared that morning, scratching at it with his fingernails, hoping that it would disappear._

 _._

 _Three years later, he would meet the then Kazuya Shibuya, head of Shibuya Psychic Research._

 _._

 _._

 _A month later, John was back in the demon-hunting business, when reports came in through an orphan living on the streets, who came to the church injured and bleeding._

 _._

 _._

 _John was in trouble._

 _He had no back up, he'd run out of bullets, and he'd grossly underestimated the strength of the bloody thing. He had briefly toyed with the idea of calling Father Tojo, but decided against it. It would raise questions, and the fact that he was carrying an illegal amount of holy water, and a gun with no firearms license that was valid in Japan, would raise more questions._

 _._

 _._

 _He backed up against the wall, holy water held out in front of him, ready to be splashed, or thrown down the throat of the demon. Anything worked, really. The demon, which looked like a cross between a mouse and an anteater splashed in neon green, prowled towards him, teeth bared threateningly. John flinched as it snapped at him, barely avoiding the teeth, and dove to the side, a claw raking down the side of his arm._

 _John swallowed the expletive he was about to let loose, and threw the holy water at the demon, who howled in agony. John smiled slightly, before the demon turned, and lunged towards him, the teeth closing around his head…_

 _._

 _._

John sat up in bed, breathing heavily, cold sweat sticking his t-shirt to his back.

.

It had been a week since their last case, and, for some reason, he'd been plagued with nightmares all week. They started out like normal dreams, but they always ended wrong; usually with him dying. Normally, he'd be able to wake up before it happened, but recently…

John shook his head, running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. It was growing long, and a fringe was now starting to form. John looked at his clock.

 _._

 _4:47 am_.

.

Not for the first time, John wished that he could swear his frustrations to the heavens. Sighing heavily, he got out of bed, and headed out to the lounge, intent of getting a cup of tea.

.

.

He was going to need it before the day was out.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

.

" _I just don't understand you, Ayako. We are trying to train you to become a doctor, so that you can continue the business after we retire, and you spend your time talking to trees!"_

 _Ayako, sixteen years old, flinched, hiding her eyes behind the long fringe that she had._

 _"But what the tree is saying is important, mother! It says that Mrs Kamari in Ward 6 will get better, she just needs more time."_

 _._

 _Chika Matsuzaki looked down at her daughter, scorn written across her face._

 _"I've had enough of this nonsense, Ayako. Your father and I tolerated it when you were younger, but you are now sixteen. You need to be focusing on your career, not flights of fantasy. I don't want to hear another word out of you about tree spirits, or earth spirits, or any other sort of garbage that is related to that. We are doctors, not spiritualists and frauds."_

 _._

 _Ayako looked at her mother, eyes wide._

 _"But, mother…"_

 _"NO BUTS! Go to your room, and study. Rest assured, when your father comes home, he will be hearing about this latest nonsense."_

 _"Mother…"_

 _"Your room, Ayako. Now!"_

 _._

 _Ayako spun on her heel, and ran up to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Why couldn't her parents understand that she was telling the truth? They always shut her down, and they never listened properly. None of the girls that were at her school liked her; she was smarter than them, and they resented her for that._

 _Her parents had such high expectations, and didn't care about her well-being._

 _No one loved her._

 _She really was alone._

 _Maybe she should just end it all._

 _._

 _._

 _Moving into her new room at Nagoshima Medical School was exhausting. Her parents hadn't been able to come, as they had a medical conference to attend, and most of the people that she knew here already hated her._

 _Hence the moving her stuff in by herself._

 _She hadn't met her roommate yet, but was betting on her hating Ayako as well. Everyone did these days. Ayako didn't know if it was some things that she said, or whether there was a giant, invisible sign above her head that said "HATE ME!" but no one seemed to like her much. That, or it was using her to get what they needed._

 _._

 _Ayako dumped her last box on top of the pile that had already gathered, and collapsed on her bed, sprawled out across the mattress. School had always been hell, and it seemed as though University would be no different._

 _._

 _There was a knock at the door, and Ayako sighed._

 _"Come in." she called, closing her eyes._

 _The knock sounded again, although it was more of a thump, as though someone had kicked it. Ayako stood up, her temper flaring, and stalked towards the door._

 _"I swear to the Goddess, if this is some kind of prank…"_

 _Ayako opened the door rapidly, and looked out._

 _"What?" she snarled, before she did a double take._

 _._

 _She could normally classify herself as pretty, or even beautiful on a good day, but the young woman standing outside her door was a knockout. Pale skin, highlighted by dark, blood red hair, and a storm-cloud grey eye was visible, the other hidden behind a thick, razored fringe. Currently, the eye was staring at her with a mixture of amusement and apprehension._

 _"Um…hi? Is now a bad time, because my arms are dropping off."_

 _Ayako flushed, and opened the door sider._

 _"Sorry. Come in."_

 _The woman glided into the room, and dumped her boxes at the foot of her bed._

 _"Bad day already?" she asked, tone interested. Ayako nodded, and sighed._

 _"It must be 'Hate Ayako' day today. Unfortunately, I didn't get the memo."_

 _The woman smiled sympathetically._

 _"I know what you mean. I think everyone that I know here hates me, because I already kicked their butts in school."_

 _Ayako blinked._

 _"You as well?"_

 _The woman blinked, and then smiled._

 _"Well, at least there is going to be someone who can challenge me. What's your name?"_

 _"Ayako Matsuzaki." Ayako introduced herself, bowing slightly._

 _The woman returned her bow, smiling._

 _"Tori Li."_

 _._

 _._

Ayako was used to waking up warm, but having a pair of arms wrapped around her was definitely new. Her back was pressed against something firm, and the arms around her were well muscled, with a few scars scattered across, like shattered glass on a pavement.

She frowned, trying to find out the reason to her current predicament, when it came back to her. Tears pricked at her eyes, and her hands tightened their grip on the arms as she tried not to cry.

.

Her parents had tried to marry her off to one of their wealthy clients.

.

She had gone to dinner with them, expecting to be scolded yet again, and was shocked to find out that her father needed her _willing_ signature on the document that signed her off as the man's wife.

.

She'd left the restaurant in a hurry.

.

It was wet, and raining, she was crying at the betrayal, and some _kusobaka_ had swerved into her lane and collided with her. She'd been taken to the hospital to check for concussion and broken bones, and she had taken the time to call Houshou, and asked him to pick her up.

For a twenty minute drive from his place to the hospital, it had taken him a total of ten minutes to get there.

She was cleared, and had gone home with him. The last thing she remembered was crying on him while sitting on his bed, with him shaking in barely restrained anger. From the way they were lying, she must have fallen asleep on him.

.

Her parents were going to kill her.

.

Beside her, Houshou stirred, arms tightening reflexively. Ayako turned slightly, watching in fascination his eyelashes (a dirty blonde, she realized, which meant that his hair _was_ naturally blond) fluttered, before his eyes opened, the brown taking on a hue akin to a mixture of honey and amber. He blinked, confused, and rubbed at his eyes, before his gaze fixed on her.

"Aya? What are you…?"

His gaze searched her face, before a light pink dotted his cheeks.

"Um…"

.

Ayako hid a smile, and sat up, stretching, unknowingly exposing a strip of her stomach, causing Monk's blush to deepen slightly, before he looked away.

"I believe a 'Good morning' is appropriate in this situation, Houshou." Ayako purred wickedly, feeling in an obscenely good mood, despite last night's…situation.

Houshou looked at her oddly, before a smirk came across his face. Sitting up and leaning forward, he placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose, making Ayako blush a light rose.

"Good morning." He teased.

Ayako shoved his chest (a _very_ muscled chest), and was saved an answer by a phone going off. Ayako grabbed it, not caring whether it was hers or Houshou's, and checked it, frowning when an unknown number came up, and blushing more when Houshou put his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist.

.

.

 **Case. Be at the office 9:00 for briefing.**

 **Lin.**

.

.

"He certainly doesn't waste words." Houshou commented, grinning slightly.

Ayako rolled her eyes, placing the phone beside her, and standing up.

"I'd best go then. I'll need to stop at the flat to pick up Mai and Masako."

Monk looked at her, and gave a wicked smirk. Ayako narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

Monk shrugged, still grinning.

"You may want to put on some better clothes than an old shirt and my shorts. Think of all the blackmail material Yasu would have if he saw you like that."

Ayako cursed, and fled the bedroom, hearing Houshou's bright laughter behind her.

.

* * *

.

.

* * *

.

When Yasu woke up, John had already left.

.

This wasn't so unusual anymore; John normally went for walks in the morning. But it was 7:00 in the morning, and that was a bit too early to be going for a walk. In Yasu's point of view anyway.

Mind you, John had been annoyed at him at first for bringing insipid bimbo's home at least once a week, before Yasu had stopped a few months before Naru had come back. John had snapped at him, and said a few things in English that Yasu was sure weren't supposed to be repeated to anyone else, and had berated him for having no moral fibre.

.

Yasu hadn't wanted to annoy his flatmate ever again, if the small scorch marks in the corner of the kitchen were any indicator of what would really happen if Yasu pushed him too far.

.

His phone was flashing with a message, an unknown number in the top left, followed by the message

 **Case. Be at the office 9:00 for briefing.**

 **Lin.**

.

Yasu groaned, and covered his head with a pillow. Cases got boring pretty quickly, and not to mention, he had to put up with Big Boss and The Silent One on a regular basis. However, he needed to go, if only to see Nollene, and keep Mai out of trouble, if only because Naru couldn't do it himself sometimes.

.

Sighing, he got up, and went to have a shower, mumbling about coffee.

He needed to be fully awake to deal with the case.

.

.

.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 ** _I really have trouble writing Yasu's character sometimes, but maybe that's because I'm a naturally serious person who is apparently intolerant of time wasters and morons. I digress._**

 ** _Please, for the love of Fanfiction and my sanity, review the story. I'm in the middle of exams and desperately need some comments to keep me going!_**

 ** _._**

 ** _Live long and prosper. V_**

 ** _._**

 ** _Tori_**


	4. Before the Rain

**Wow. I'm so, terribly, dreadfully sorry about the lack of chapters. I'm in the annoying stage of uncertainty, as my parents have decided that we are moving. Not cities, but to a whole other island.**

 **So, as of January, we are packing up, and moving down to the South Island, Christchurch in particular. So, I was a bit upset at leaving my friends, and some of the cooler teachers, and this affected my muse. However, I took the time to plan out this story, so I now have a vague idea of what I'm doing.**

 **That, and I'm writing a Sherlock Fic (BBC), for one of my ex-teachers, as a kind of thank-you (one of my friends said that we were so alike, she could have been my older sister. She is the same age as one of my sisters, so…).**

 **Anyway, onto the story…**

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

Mai arrived early that morning, with plenty of time to spare. She had some filing to do, and a few cases to sort through, so she wanted to get a head start. Greeting Nollene cheerfully, and making tea to deliver to Naru (she gifted it to him with a kiss on the cheek and a few new cases for him to look at), she hit the filing cabinet.

Everything was arranged first by year, then month, then alphabetically. Cases highlighted in green were the ones they completed, blue for considered, pink for not at all. Mai, for some reason she couldn't comprehend, was incredibly OCD about her filing system. The only one who matched her neatness when it came to filing was Lin. Naru was neat, but made a few mistakes here and there.

She was halfway through the massive stack (they just kept flooding in, really), when the phone rang, with a high-pitched, shrill tone. Mai winced, and Nollene, over from her corner of sorting out files to be filed (easy job) gave her a sympathetic glance when she picked it up.

"Shibuya Psychic Research, Taniyama speaking."

.

Mai listened, and grabbed a pen and paper, jotting down notes. Naru exited with some of the cases he declined, and leaned against the wall, waiting until Mai was done.

"Mm hm. Yes. Um…' Mai flicked open to her diary, and wrote down a time, 'we don't have any appointments today, so if you want to come in and discuss this…no…well, you said that it was of a personal nature, and you didn't want your husband to overhear…yes, we do believe in client confidentiality…only for company records…well, sometimes we'd like to investigate for a day, and see what we're dealing with, and give a preliminary conclusion for you, before starting our actual investigation…no…no…our address is on our website, just type in Shibuya Psychic Research, it should be the first one to come up…thank you…see you soon!"

.

Mai put down the phone, and sighed, slumping into the chair. Nollene patted her back sympathetically.

"Customer?" she asked. Mai nodded.

"One of the really annoying ones who aren't really sure that they're doing the right thing, and don't want to believe that they are being haunted or whatever, and they think that this is some kind of elaborate hoax."

Nollene hummed, and rolled her eyes.

 _"Kusobaka."_

Mai looked up at her in shock, and Nollene shrugged.

"You can't deny it. There are some real idiots out there."

"And I have two in here who aren't working." Naru interrupted, causing Mai to jump, and Nollene to spin around.

"Naru,' Mai breathed, trying to get her heart under control, 'do _not_ sneak up on me like that."

"You should be used to it by now Mai,' Naru smirked, ' _you_ are the one who has the internal ghost magnet, not me."

Mai glared at him, but without any heat. Nollene cringed.

"Can you two not flirt while I'm in the room, please?"

Mai and Naru exchanged a glance, and then looked at Nollene.

"No." they replied in unison. Nollene rolled her eyes.

"Perfect."

Naru turned to Mai.

"Case?" Mai nodded.

"They'll be here around 2. Sound like the normal poltergeist, but a few things don't add up. It should be small, so we won't need everyone. Monk's at Mt. Kouya visiting his family, John is helping at the orphanage because Father Tojo is sick and Masako has a show, so they're out anyway. Yasu has a… _date._ " Mai said the last word in revulsion, as she'd met a few of Yasu's previous _dates_ , and they weren't really that pleasant.

Across the room, Nollene stiffened, and bit her lip.

"That's nice for him." Her voice was a little tight, and she hoped to God that Naru didn't pick up on it.

Naru shot her a glance, but didn't comment, instead focusing on Mai.

"Feelings on this case?"

Mai frowned.

"I didn't really get a lot over the phone, but she sounded desperate enough. I'll most likely get more of a…reading when they come."

"They?"

"It's a woman and her three daughters. All of them teenagers, ages 17, 16 and 14."

"Just inside the range then." Naru mused thoughtfully, propping his chin on his hand. "This could be interesting."

Nollene glanced at Naru.

"Every case is interesting to you."

"Shut it, _gaki_."

* * *

.

.

* * *

"…it just doesn't make sense! The furniture was moved completely when we all got home, and none of the doors had been opened, and none of the windows had been broken. There are strange knocking sounds at night. And Akiko says that she saw a young girl around the same age as her standing in her room, mouthing _'leave'_ and ' _get out'_."

.

Lin paused in his typing, and Mai and Naru exchanged a glance, questions evident in Mai's gaze, and intrigue in Naru's. Lin, however, merely looked…apprehensive, remembering _one particular_ case with a warning like that. Mai turned back to their clients, and analysed them discreetly.

.

The mother, Sayuri Kanata, was nearing her 50's, and had remarried after her last husband died in a plane accident. She looked thin and worn, and utterly exhausted, if the bags under her eyes and the abundance of grey hairs were any indicator.

The eldest girl, Moriko Hayashi, was 17. She had deep purple hair cut short, and even darker purple eyes. Her figure was slender, yet muscular, indicating that she did some form of physical exercise. She seemed to Mai to be all sharp edges and angles. Even her gaze was sharp.

The middle child, Shika Hayashi, had a more reddish-purple hair colour, worn long, and had amber coloured eyes. Whereas Moriko was sporty, Shika was academic, with thin wire-frames, and ink stains on her fingers. Someone, and Mai suspected Moriko, bullied her into running, as there was muscle, but mainly on her legs.

The youngest child, Akiko Hayashi, had shoulder length auburn hair, with a fringe that hid her light purple eyes. She seemed to be the one that everyone babied, and looked to be artistic, judging by the paint streak across her cheek.

All three girls looked stressed, and jumpy, and Moriko kept on scanning the room, as if looking for a threat. _Or looking for exits._ Even Mai's tea wasn't helping much.

.

"I don't really know if you can help us, but please, if you can do anything…" Sayuri trailed off, clenching her fists until the knuckles turned white.

Mai watched Naru closely, looking for his tells. If he tapped his fingers, he would take it. If he bit his lip, he was considering it. If he pursed his lips, he was going to decline it.

.

He pursed his lips.

.

"Mrs. Kanata…" Naru began.

"Naru,' Mai interrupted, causing five sets of eyes to swing to her, and one eyebrow to rise from another. "Can I have a word?"

Naru blinked at her. Lin hid a smirk. Their clients looked confused.

"Now, preferably." Mai continued, fixing Naru with a pleading yet stern gaze. Naru stood, excusing himself, before making his way over to Mai. Mai, in turn, moved towards the kitchen, where there was a little more privacy. As soon as Naru was in the vicinity, and out of earshot, Mai turned to him.  
"Take the case."

Naru frowned.

"What?"

"Take. The. Case. Naru. Or I won't bring you tea in the morning, and you'll have to survive on _Lin's_ tea." She hissed quietly.

Naru repressed a shudder at the thought of drinking the overly strong, bitter chai tea. He narrowed his gaze at Mai.

"Why should I?"

"Because,' Mai started, looking around to see if anyone was nearby, 'it's a gut feeling. Something just doesn't add up; _why_ did Akiko see the girl, and why was she warning her, and telling her to leave? When Mrs. Kanata moved into the house, it was her new husband's. None of the girls looked comfortable, and Moriko was looking for exits the whole time her mother was talking about the ghost activity."

Naru bit his lip.

"You really think that I should take it? Is that what you want?"

Mai nodded, and reached out, touching Naru's arm.

"It's a gut feeling, Naru. And I think that is may get worse for them if we don't do something about it."

.

There was a thick silence while Naru thought it over, before her nodded.

"I'll take it. Call Madoka, Ayako and Monk. John and Masako are busy."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Monk's at Mt. Kouya; I told you this morning. And please, don't make me call Yasu while he's on his date; I'll die. Now get in there and tell your clients that you're taking this case."

Naru gave her a sarcastic salute, and muttered something in a different language, that was definitely _not_ English of Japanese, before he left.

Mai nodded and smiled to herself.

"Well done Mai, well done." She murmured to herself, smirking. She headed towards the phone, intent on calling Madoka and Ayako.

This case would be _fun_.

* * *

.

.

* * *

"So, remind me again _why_ Naru took this case?" Madoka asked, eyes twinkling.

Nollene, being the dear that she was, had taken it upon herself to notify Masako, Madoka and Ayako _exactly_ what had happened in the office when their clients came in, and the ensuing circumstances that led to the case being taken.

Mai thumped her head on the table, being careful to avoid her apple cider.

"I've told you already. Clearly, age is affecting your memory." She bit out, annoyed.

Instead of making Madoka shut up, it only increased her amusement, causing her to laugh. Ayako joined in, while Masako giggled behind her hand, and Nollene smirked.

"You sounded just like Naru!" Madoka managed to choke out. Mai huffed, and sat back up, slouching in her seat.

"No, really, Mai, what did you say to Naru to get him to take the case? By all appearances, he was going to refuse." Nollene asked, sipping her lemonade (she was underage).

Mai sighed, and shut her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"All I did was tell him that it was a gut feeling that the case was going to get worse if we left it, and that there was something odd going on with the family. It was his decision to take it; he could have refused my advice and canned it anyway."

.

"Yes, but he _listened to you_ , and followed your advice. It's an improvement!" Madoka practically squealed. Ayako grinned, and sipped her cocktail. Mai shook her head.

"Enough about me. I heard from a little birdie that Ayako moved in with Monk last weekend." Mai turned a sly gaze onto Ayako. "Was this because Masako and I are now old enough to take care of ourselves? Or is there more…"

"SHUT UP!" Ayako shrieked, drawing a few odd gazes, but nothing noteworthy. Masako, on the other hand, was currently nursing her sore ears after Ayako's eardrum shattering exclamation.

"Oooohhhh,' Nollene dragged out, 'I met…Yuri, was it? Said that the spare room wasn't taken if I needed to crash after a jam session, and when I asked if Ayako was in it, she looked at me funny, then told me that you were in Monk's room."

Ayako flushed a delicate rose, and tried to tell herself it was from the wine.

"Monk seems to be in a particularly good mood himself." Masako commented idly, toying with the rim of her glass. "He seems pretty happy about the rooming situation anyway."

Ayako's blush deepened.

"I don't see anyone picking on Nollene for her choice in roommates. Or Lin, for that matter." She muttered scathingly. Nollene raised an eyebrow.

"Oliver is obsessively tidy, alphabetizes his books, and cooks breakfast, doesn't snore or mutter in his sleep like he used to, does the dishes and doesn't use all the hot water. A pretty decent roommate. Oh, and he joins me in Doctor Who marathons every Friday."

There was silence, before Masako broke it.

"' _Like he used to?'_ Doesn't sound very…"

"Don't get me wrong,' Nollene started, 'I love my brother very much, despite not being related by blood. Over the years, when we grew closer, both Gene and I noticed a few things about Noll. He's not psychic; his PK isn't like that. But if he uses his psychometry, it's as if _he was the victim_. That kind of stuff leads to some pretty dark nightmares. It got worse after he rescued Ben…The billionaire's son,' she added, seeing the blank looks.

"Naru suddenly got scared of dark, small, enclosed spaces. He couldn't even go into his closet without having a panic attack. At night, either Gene or I would end up in his room, either by his bed or in it, in order to wake him up. Because, if Naru ever got to the point where he died in a psychometry vision, he would die to."

Nollene paused, and looked at her glass in horror.

"I've said too much." She whispered. Mai bit her lip to keep from crying at the _unfairness_ of it all, and Masako looked distinctly teary-eyed. Surprisingly, it was Madoka who broke the silence.

"Koujo slept with a knife under his pillow when we were kids. Still does, with a gun as well. He adjusted well to civilian life but…a part of him is still on the streets, or in the rings."

Ayako frowned.

"Speaking of Lin, who was that woman who came in while we were on that case. Rukia?"

"Ruka." Mai supplied, an image of two almost identical girls following her and Maya across a playground. She shook her head to get rid of it.

"Ruka, then. Madoka?"

Madoka sipped at her drink, stalling.

"Ruka Tanaka is a lawyer. She hit big recently against a drug trafficker, and put him behind bars. You may have seen the news."

Ayako and Mai nodded, remembering the massive press coverage on it.

"Well, anyway, Ruka and her sister Kie- your Music teacher, Mai- both lived in Outcasts, and were possibly the first Japanese people that Koujo didn't hate. Mind you, it was hard to hate someone _that_ cheerful with a mouth on her. Ruka is probably the most unorthodox lawyer you will ever met. No romantic attachment to Koujo, only platonic love."

The rest of them nodded in understanding, and Mai stretched, yawning.

"Come on Masako, we need to get back. Naru wants me at work early to help Lin pack the van. He no longer trusts Nollene to do it."

"The vans are different here." Nollene muttered. "It was one time, and I thought that the microphones were secure."

" _Thinking is different to making sure, Nollene. Of all the people to make such a stupid mistake, I thought you would be the last one, right next to Lin and myself. Such idiocy is reserved for interns, not my sister_." Mai quoted with an airy voice, and an uncanny resemblance to Naru's voice. Nollene growled at the reminder of _that_ particular lecture, and glared at Mai.

.

"I'll deal with you tomorrow, Taniyama."

.

.

.

.

 **Phew, all done. That was quite a hard chapter, and it took me a few days. As per usual, READ AND REVIEW. PLEASE!**

 **Ta,**

 **Tori.**

 **P.S; Merry Christmas! (It's early, but this was posted on the 22** **nd** **of December, and I won't have another one ready by Christmas.)**


	5. Touch of Evil

**Here we are, ladies and Gentlemen; the next chapter. I am typing this from my new house down in Canterbury, while the weather is dreary and dull, and I'm sitting on a camp stretcher because the container doesn't arrive till Thursday, and there is no internet, so… oh, and school starts on Monday, so joy of joys. There are only so many time, you can play solitaire, pyramid and triple peaks before you start yelling at the screen. So, yeah, enjoy.**

* * *

.

* * *

.

Mai sat in the van, eyes fixed on the house.

.

Naru was already out, opening the doors, but she was transfixed by the house. It was very unassuming; wooden structure, two stories, painted white, sizable garden with roses and climbing jasmine and a small fountain in the middle. There was soccer ball by the fountain, and a pair of old running shoes by the rose bushes.

Still, there was something off about it. It was as if…

"Mai."

Mai startled, turning to face her boss. Naru was standing by the door, an amused smirk on his lips. Mai huffed, and slid out of her seat, using Naru's offered hand to stop herself from face-planting (it was _one time_ , and she had a concussion). Her hand tingled, and she managed to hiss ' _dehydration'_ before she went limp.

.

* * *

 _Two small boys ran across the lawn, one of them laughing hysterically, the other grinning, as a woman chased them, blonde hair flying everywhere._

 _"Get back here you little rats! I don't care what your parents think, you will be locked in your room with no food for two days after that stupid prank!"_

 _Mai looked closer, and yep, the woman had black ink staining her horrendously pink blouse, the black spreading across her shoulders and dripping down her back. The boys ran through a back door, and ducked into a cupboard, the smiling one smothering the other ones giggles with his hands as the woman streaked past, before stopping. Both boys froze, and pressed back into the cupboard as far as they could go, as the woman walked back towards the cupboard._

 _"Ms. Lin, you haven't seen the bra…boys, have you?"_

 _"Sorry, Ms. haven't seen since lunch." The voice had an accent, and she took longer to form the words than the first woman._

 _"Thank you." The reply was sharp, and the first woman stalked off, annoyed. There was silence, before the cupboard door opened, and a woman poked her head in, a mass of dark, black hair falling over her shoulder, one grey eye fixing the boys with a stern gaze, and the other hidden behind a thick fringe._

 _"Come out now, you two."_

 _The boys climbed out, and followed the woman to the kitchen meekly, smiles gone. When they were seated at the table, the woman relaxed, smiling at them._

 _"Well done, except almost caught. You must always cover tracks. Remember next time."_

 _The boys both broke into ear-splitting grins. The woman leaned forward, pulling out a piece of paper from her apron pocket._

 _"Next on list is grass-snake. Make sure is big."_

 _._

 _._

* * *

 _._

There was a sharp pinch to her hand, and Mai blinked, eyes meeting grey fuzzily.

"Are you alright?" Lin asked. Mai's vision blurred.

"Your sister is really pretty, and really nasty. Grass snakes and ink? That blouse was hideous." She said, dazed, not really sure if she was speaking Japanese or English at that point. Probably a mix. Lin coughed, hiding a laugh.

"I was away for that one, on a case with Martin. You should ask Naru; it's a good story."

Mai, with Lin's assistance, stood up, leaning against the van, taking the bottle offered and drinking half of it, her head clearing. She looked at Lin accusingly.

"You never said I'd be able to do that."

Lin shrugged, and took the drink bottle back, capping it, before putting it in a box to be carried inside, grabbing Mai's backpack.

"You never used to be able to; it's new, but not uncommon, although I never expected you to have it. You have Astral Projection, ESP, PK-MT, and Psychic Dreams, so what's one more gift to you?"

Mai shoved Lin, annoyed. Normally, she wouldn't have dreamed of doing it, but both she and Lin had met up over the week, to help get a handle on her newly released gifts. She now realized why in her memories, she always hung around Lin; he was like her big brother. Granted, a fair few years older, but her brother none the less.

"What's it called?"

"I honestly don't know. I've never come across it in more than three people, and they all call it different things. Tajo calls it " _The hand tingly thingy"_ , which, for a doctor, is quite weird."

Mai giggled, and stood up straight, looking for Naru.

"How long was I out?"

"About five minutes. Thankfully, our clients haven't come out yet, otherwise I'd have to use your pathetic excuse of _dehydration._ " Naru's voice came from behind her, and she cringed, turning.

"It was the first thing I could think of as to why I would faint. I don't look anaemic, and I'm not anorexic, because I'm not skinny enough, and I've been sitting in a hot car all day and…"

"Mai." Naru cut in, Lin leaving quickly (Mai shot Lin a glare as he retreated), "I'm not angry, just concerned. Has this happened before?"

Mai nodded.

"Yes, but only if I touch bare skin. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Today must be the random day that it happens."

Naru tilted his head, and propped his chin on his hand, gaze thoughtful. Mai fidgeted, and flinched, when Naru moved closer, cool fingers touching her cheek, before dropping, and settling back under his chin.

"What do you feel from the house?"

Mai shook her head.

"Nothing. I don't think it's the house; it may be someone inside."

Naru nodded, and a loud whistle broke through the moment, causing Naru to grit his teeth in annoyance. He started to walk towards Lin, Mai following behind, pausing to grab her clipboard in order to take notes. She had to jog to catch up to Naru; he had really long strides.

.

"Hello again, welcome to my home." Sayuri Kanata bowed to them, prompting a response from both Lin and Naru. Mai opted to smile and wave cheerfully from her place behind them.

"This is my husband,' Mrs. Kanata continued, gesturing to the stocky, well-built man beside her, 'Kaname Yaniata.'

"A pleasure." The man said, disdain and false kindness oozing from his tone. Naru stiffened, but remained polite, shaking the hand offered, Lin following suit, before Naru introduced them.

"My name is Kazuya Shibuya, and these are my assistants, Koujo Lin, and Mai Taniyama. The other members of my team will be arriving tomorrow if need be."

Mai stepped forward, and shook the man's offered hand.

"Pleased to meet you, sir."

His hand closed around hers, and his eyes glinted.

"The pleasure is mine."

* * *

.

 _Blackness, and sobbing._

 _"Please…stop…I don't want to…please."_

 _It was a girl crying and begging. The sound of metal hitting concrete sounded, and the girl sobbed harder._

 _"I just want to go home…someone…anyone…help!"_

 _Then another voice cut through the silence, echoing slightly._

 _"Scream for me." He whispered, and a flash of silver reflected the small amount of moonlight that cut through the darkness._

 _There was a loud scream, which cut off abruptly._

.

* * *

Mai blinked, and sighed internally when she realized that it had only been a few seconds. She frowned, when she realized that the father hadn't released her hand. She coughed, and the man let it go as if he'd been electrocuted. Judging by Naru's Blue Laser-beams of Death, Mai wasn't sure if it was true or not. Even Lin looked suspicious.

Mrs. Kanata broke the silence.

"Mai, perhaps you'd like to go speak to the girls?"

Mai followed her gratefully, aware of three sets of eyes following her with unwavering scrutiny.

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

Moriko Hayashi was annoyed. Her mother wanted her to speak to some assistant with this Ghost Hunting team that was investigating all the odd happenings, and well, she was not impressed. She'd seen the van arrive, and had seen two men get out, so she'd resigned herself to being interrogated by one of them.

They'd most likely eye up Shika or even Akiko the whole time, and she'd have to put up with the stupid flirting.

There was a knock at the door, and her mother poked her head around.

"Girls, the paranormal team have arrived. One of them would like to speak with you."

Shika, who'd been reading a book on the couch, jerked upright, declaring " _I'm awake_!", while Akiko pulled off her headphones, the faint strains of music reaching Moriko's ears. Moriko dropped the boot she was cleaning, and sighed.

"Send them in." she said, reluctance covering her tone. Her mother sent her a disapproving glare, but Moriko ignored it, and slouched in her seat. She'd had to blow off a training to be here, and she wasn't impressed.

She wasn't expected a small, unassuming girl to walk in, thanking her mother, and sitting on the spare seat in the girls' common room. Moriko eyed her.

She had muscle on her legs and arms, so some form of exercise, possibly combat orientated, and running. Her eyes were looking around the room, probably taking in all of Akiko's artwork and paintings, and Shika's study timetables, and she seemed relaxed.

Too relaxed.

.

The girl caught Moriko's eyes, and she smiled. It was a very disarming smile.

"Hi, I'm Mai Taniyama. I'll be asking you a few questions, is that okay?"

Akiko practically bounced towards Taniyama, and grinned at her.

"Hi! I'm Akiko!"

"Pleased to meet you. Um…do you want to answer them separately or in a group?"

"In a group." Moriko answered, still not trusting the girl. Shika rolled her eyes at her tone of voice, but Taniyama didn't seem worried.

"Okay then. So, when exactly did all this start?"

Shika answered this one.

"It was about three months ago, soon after we moved in to this house. It's our new step-fathers, see. He brushed it off as land subsidence, but I researched the land around it, and there's nothing wrong with it. No wells, no mines or tunnels, nothing."

Mai nodded, a wry grin on her face as she wrote it down. Moriko was suspicious.

"What are you smiling for?" she asked brusquely.

"Moriko." Akiko hissed, but Taniyama didn't seem upset. In fact, she looked wistful.

"Oh, my first case was land subsidence. It was at my school. In fact, that's how I ended up working at SPR. I'd pushed a bookshelf over on my boss's assistant, and broken a camera. I worked for my boss in order to pay it off, since his assistant had sprained his leg, and I just kind of…kept working. Of course, I found out that the camera was covered by insurance on our fourth case. Jerk." She muttered at the end, fondly. Moriko nodded, relaxing slightly when she realized that Taniyama wasn't making fun of Shika's research habits.

"So, this is your step-fathers house?"

"Yeah,' Akiko lost the smile, 'we had to move from centre city to out here, and we had to move schools. I didn't want to leave the orchestra, but I had to. Less sunlight here as well; it's hard to find a good place to paint."

Mai made a note, and underlined something, biting her lip.

"Would any of you find this environment stressful at…?" She trailed off, and huffed at the clipboard. "Who the hell wrote these questions? These really aren't at all sensitive, so it must have been Naru, or it could have been Yasu after a bad date." She muttered, reading down her clipboard, and crossing a few things off. "Sorry about that, sometimes my boss can be really insensitive and emotionally stunted."

Akiko and Shika giggled, and Moriko allowed herself a small smile.

"So, did you find it difficult to move?"

Moriko felt like she needed to answer this one.

"We all did. We had lives, friends and family, but we moved to make Mum happy. Of course, everything has gone downhill from there. Mum and… _he_ seem very happy, and we all pretend to be happy as well, but…"

"There's something that doesn't feel right here,' Taniyama continued on where she trailed off,' the air feels heavier, more oppressive, and you feel your skin crawling at random times, as if someone is watching you. Then there's the looks that your step-father shoots the three of you. Sometimes they're calculating or assessing gazes, other times they make you feel sick, because no step-father should look at his step-daughter like that. But it's for your younger sisters that you're concerned about the most, because you know that you can take care of yourself, but Shika has never shown any inclination in taking up self-defence, and Akiko is too innocent to suspect something. However…"

"Taniyama-san." The name cracked like a whip, and Moriko spun, her eyes landing on a very tall man standing in the doorway, who looked slightly panicked. She looked back at Taniyama, who'd closed her eyes, and had gone pale, to her sisters, who looked paper white.

"You've said enough, Mai." The tall man broke the silence softly. "Go have a lie down, and see if this problem settles itself."

Mai nodded, and stood shakily, leaving her clipboard from where it had dropped on the floor, and made her way slowly towards the door. When she got there, the tall man placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and murmured something too low for Moriko to hear. Taniyama replied, and the man squeezed her shoulder, pushing her gently out the door.

.

After she'd gone, the tall man looked into the room, and sighed.

"My apologies for Taniyama-san. Sometimes, she reads too much into things, as her gift dictates, so she has no sense of propriety or isn't very sensitive. I hope you won't be too harsh on her."

The tall man left, and Shika let out a gasp as she read what was on the clipboard, and Moriko closed her eyes.

.

Because, deep down, she knew that Taniyama had hit the nail on the head.

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

Naru met Mai as soon as she walked in, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she stumbled.

"What happened?"

Mai shook her head, feeling dizzy and nauseous. She saw Lin enter out of the corner of her eye, before her vision went blurry again. She felt the couch hit the back of her knees, and she sat down gratefully, Naru's arm still around her. She leaned into him for support, breathing in the scent of fresh water and cold air.

"I feel sick." She muttered, closing her eyes as Naru rubbed circles on her back.

"Has this happened before?" Naru asked. Mai shook her head.

"Not this bad. Lin?"

"No idea. I'll ask Madoka to check with Tajo tonight, before she comes tomorrow."

"Thanks." Mai mumbled, a swooping sensation coming over her.

"Sleep." Naru's voice commanded, softer than she'd ever heard it before.

Mai obeyed, a blissful sense of drifting coming over her.

.

* * *

.

Naru looked down at Mai fondly, his hand still rubbing slow circles on her back, while his other was carding through her hair.

"You have it bad." Lin stated, eyes fixed on the monitors from the few places where they had set up cameras. Naru gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Shut up, Lin."

.

.

.

.

 **There we go, the fifth chapter. Exciting things coming up, such as a sneak peek into Yasu's dates, Monk's visit to Mt. Kouya, and others turning up to the case. DRAMA! EXCITEMENT! DEATH! MYSTERY! READ! REVIEW!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori**


	6. Spirited Away (Literally)

**BORED! Still no internet, no landline and hardly any cellphone reception. On the bright side, it means that I can finally catch up on all the chapters before school starts. This year, I will try to update as often as possible, but…no promises guys. Thanks to reviewers who reviewed, I can't name names because, well, no internet, and I have about two weeks' worth of unread emails.**

 **Enjoy!**

.

.

* * *

.

* * *

Yasu yawned behind his hand as his date prattled on about her new shampoo which made her hair greasy, and how her ex-boyfriend had taken her to this cute little tea-shop in some vague part of town, and how her friends were such bitches and how this one was cheating on her boyfriend while that one was fat.

Normally, he wouldn't bother with this; he was perfectly happy being single, and going back to his flat with John after helping out in the orphanage, or trying to introduce John to more Japanese culture. Actually, it was quite surprising how many things he liked doing with his flatmate, but he wrote it off as brotherly affection. John did cook him food after all, and put up with his bad habits.

But this was just a distraction to his real reason. Down the street from his position, there was a library. And libraries had records. More specifically, these records were police records of all the people who lived in the area, including one Koujo Lin.

It was stupid, and he'd probably get in trouble, but…what on earth was Lin hiding? And what was this about his girlfriend, Tori, who'd died? None of it made sense, so he was determined to find out.

.

After his 'date' had left, he made his way to the library, looking for all the world a normal person looking to get a few books. He knew that the records were normally kept at the very back, usually in a basement, so he made his way there slowly, pausing to look at other books so that the other patrons didn't look at him too often. He had to be in and out quickly; John had asked him if he could help at the orphanage for a few hours, and he didn't dare be late.

Making his way downstairs, he sighed in relief when he realized that all the records were arranged alphabetically, starting at 'Z' where he was standing, and ending at 'A' right down the end. He walked slowly, eyes scanning the shelves carefully. He paused when he saw ' _Taniyama, Mai' 'Taniyama, Maya' 'Taniyama, Jia'_ and ' _Taniyama, Mamoru'_ but decided against looking at them. He was on a mission.

He spotted 'L', and hurried forward, eyes falling on ' _Li, Tori', 'Li, Tajo', 'Lin, Koujo'_ and ' _Lin, Cho'._ Picking up Lin's file, he opened it, leaning against the shelves to read it.

.

.

 _Subject 57390_

 _Name(s): Lin, Koujo Ryuu_

 _Date of Birth: Unknown,_ _ **1990**_

 _Place of origin: Hong Kong_

 _Nationality: Chinese_

 _Hair colour: Black_

 _Eye colour: Left- grey,_ _ **Right- white iris**_

 _Height: 5-10,_ _ **6-4**_

 _Distinguishing Features: Numerous tattoos- Chinese writing subject claims as names, yin/yang symbol on left shoulder._

 _Address: Detained,_ _ **CLASSIFIED.**_

 _Career(s): N/A_

 _Previous Careers: N/A_

 _Relatives:_ _ **Cho LIN (niece), Mei LIN (sister, resides in England).**_

 _Parents/ Guardians:_ _ **CLASSIFIED.**_

 _Convictions/Criminal Record: Willful Manslaughter (37 victims), breaking and entering (12 offenses), trespassing (16 offenses), public disturbance (4 offenses)._ _ **Released under supervision of an officer. Subject was detained after a raid on a fighting ring. Subject was underage, and couldn't be convicted in court.**_

 _._

 _Medical record:_ _ **Dr. Kamari Yoshimi**_

 _1999- Possible traces of rickets, calcium and iron deficiency, strain on ribs; multiple fractures, incorrectly healed shoulder, multiple dislocations and breaks, broken nose- corrected. Unwillingness to show right eye, a possible sight deficiency. Severely underweight._

 _2000- Broken Humerus (left, x3), fractured wrist (left), dislocated ankle (left), broken ribs (left, x4). Numerous lacerations. Mild concussion. Subject was reported to have jumped out of a window, fallen for two stories and landed on a van, before a gas explosion ripped the room apart. Severely underweight._

 _2001- Shattered left patella, broken right clavicle, pulled Achilles, laceration across sternum, stab wound near femoral artery. Fractured femur. Broken ribs (left x4, right x3), broken nose, severe bruising around arms and legs, fractured eye socket (right), fractured cheekbone (right), broken phalanges (left- index, thumb, middle. Right- index, middle, marriage). Subject was examined after raid on fighting ring. Severely underweight._ _ **(What the hell is this kid doing?)**_

 _2002- Twisted ankle, Broken ulna (right). Mildly underweight._ _ **(Remarkably quiet year, then).**_

 _2003- Fractured clavicle (right), fractured scapula (right), dislocated shoulder (right). Mildly underweight._

 _2004- Stab wound, right shoulder. Fractured tibia (left). Sprained wrist (left). Mildly Underweight._

 _2005- Sprained wrist (left)._

 _2006- Dislocated knee (left), broken collarbone (left), fractured wrist (left), pulled tendons in lower leg (left), broken tibia and fibula (left)._

 _2007- Subject treated for shock._

 _2008- Concussion, Sprained wrist (left), dislocated shoulder (right)._

 _2009- Lacerations across back, fractured cheekbone (left)._

 ** _Subject is noted to have left for study abroad August 2009_** _._

 ** _Last updated September 2009._**

 _._

.

.

Yasu blinked, eyes re-reading the list of injuries.

"Well, Lin,' he muttered, 'you certainly were accident prone."

.

.

* * *

.

* * *

Houshou sat in front of his grandfather nervously, spine straight, eyes fixed downwards.

Nervous?

Hell, yes.

His grandfather, Daiki Takigawa, sat on an elevated platform, looking down at him. His father, Ichiro, sat to the right, also looking at his son. Both wore disapproving looks upon their faces, both had their lips pursed , and both were definitely unimpressed.

"I will have to ask, Houshou,' his father broke the silence, voice quiet, 'for you to repeat yourself. Because I could have sworn you came to me asking for advice."

Houshou bowed his head further, wishing the floor would swallow him whole.

"I did, most honourable father."

Oh yes, big bite of humble pie.

"Despite, and I quote " _I don't need your advice, father. I'm twenty-one, not some pubescent teenager confused about his first crush. You have no right to tell me to get over myself. If you were here, then maybe this wouldn't have happened'_ ".

Houshou flushed, as his father repeated the words that he'd flung at him before his departure from Mt. Kouya for the foreseeable future. He had been angry, upset, and still hurting over the death of his older brother, Hikaru, and his uncle, Jiro, getting away with no punishment after failing to supervise an exorcism.

The exorcism had gone badly, and both Houshou and his older brother were no match for the lower-demon that attacked. Houshou's brother had bleed out from his wounds, while Houshou himself had managed to finish it off, almost killing himself in the process. Jiro was supposed to be there supervising the exorcism, being a step up from the normal ones, but he had disappeared a few hours earlier. Jiro had passed it off as making sure that there were no other demons, but Houshou never forgave him, and was livid when all he got was a slap on the hand.

Hikaru had been older than Houshou by eighteen months, but they had been like twins, being two of the six children near their age. They had done everything together, including breaking the rules to bring music to Mt. Kouya. His death had broken something in Houshou, something which had only just begun to heal. Seeing Ayako after her fights with her parents had shown Houshou that even though he'd stormed off and broken contact with his parents, he'd been the one at fault, not them. Hence the trip to Mt. Kouya to mend the broken bridges, and the apologies at his lips.

And the advice on how to proceed with Ayako, because really, he was stuck.

.

His grandfather stared down at him impassively, and Houshou decided ' _why not eat the whole pie while I'm at it'_ , taking a deep breath.

"I wish to apologize for my actions and words following Hikaru's…death, and the manner in which I departed. It was not my place to question whatever punishment you put in place for my uncle, and I hope you will forgive me."

Silence reigned, and Houshou fought the urge to shift uncomfortably, or to fidget with his hair, his earring, anything. His grandfather and father exchanged glances, and Houshou studied the floor intently, as if it was the most fascinating thing since…anything, really.

"Your apology is accepted, grandson. It is not often that the elders find ourselves challenged by the younger generation for any actions, and words spoken in anger oft have a way of becoming meaningless over time."

"Now,' Ichiro began, a glint in his eye that made Houshou wary,' who is this woman that has you coming to your old man for advice?"

Houshou hesitated, and hoped that they wouldn't kill him on sight.

"Well…"

.

.

.

* * *

.

* * *

Mai's head felt foggy, and it throbbed in time with her heartbeat. She felt like she'd just played a drinking game with Yasu, and lost terribly after getting completely trashed. She vaguely remembered falling asleep against Naru (it was starting to become a habit, and it irked her somewhat), and now she had something cool resting against her forehead. She hoped it wasn't Naru's hand; she couldn't stand the teasing about " _workplace relationship"_ from Yasu if Madoka turned up and took pictures.

She forced her eyes open, wincing at the feel of the grit that coated them, and ran a hand through her hair, confident that it was a mess after sleeping on the couch. Her hand met a damp cloth, and she sat up slowly, staring at the cloth in puzzlement.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mai."

.

Ah. Nollene, Ayako and Madoka must be here, hence the cloth. Mai turned bleary eyes to the voice, and saw Nollene lounging on the opposite couch, file in hand, and looking straight at her. Mai grimaced, and rubbed at her eyes.

"Wha' time ishit?" she slurred, a headache attempting to pound her brain matter out of her temples. Nollene raised an eyebrow.

"It's only 7:15, relax. Naru is, miraculously, still asleep, and Lin has gone to check on one of the cameras that malfunctioned last night. Ayako is making tea, and Madoka is talking to the mother. You were asleep, but now that you're awake,' a folder hit the table next to Mai,' 'you can help me get through all of this stuff."

Mai groaned, and glared at the file.

"Can I at least get dressed, and drink some tea?"

Nollene sighed.

"Fine, but hurry. If Naru comes back and you're not working…"

Mai leapt up, ignoring the dizzy feeling, and rushed out of the room on the way to the bathroom, grabbing her bag on the way out. Nollene smirked a little, and leaned back, eyes back on the comic hidden in the pages of the file.

"It's the little things in life." She murmured quietly, grinning to herself.

.

.

"Shika's missing!"

Moriko burst into the base at precisely 7:31, dressed for running and eyes wide.

Lin almost knocked over his tea as he spun around in his chair. Mai and Nollene had gone to investigate the grounds to find anything weird, so he was left in base. Ayako and Madoka were talking to the step-father, and Naru was _still_ in bed.

' _Honestly, the one time he decides to act like a bloody teenager…'_

"What?"

"Shika's not in her room, on the grounds or anywhere; I double checked everything, and she never leaves for a run without me. I don't know where she is and I don't want to think about what is going to happen if she doesn't come back…"

"Calm down." Lin interrupted, standing up and leading Moriko to a couch. "Take a deep breath, and speak slowly. Start from the beginning."

He picked up a pen and notebook off the table, and opened it to a fresh page. Moriko took a shaky breath.

"I woke up at six to go for a run, and knocked on Shika's door to wake her up, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. At about six-thirty I went back upstairs to get dressed. Shika's door was still closed, so I knocked and entered. Her bed was empty, with all the cover's pushed back, so I thought she'd gone to have a shower, or I'd just missed her. At about seven I waited for her by the back door, where we normally meet, but she wasn't there. So I checked her room again, and when she wasn't there, I asked Akiko and Mother if they'd seen her, and then went outside to the garden, in case she was outside already. Akiko checked all the rooms, and she wasn't in there."

Lin nodded, the page in front of him covered in his looping cursive. He narrowed his eyes.

"Has she ever tried to avoid running with you before?"

Moriko nodded.

"Only at the start, when she was being lazy. But that was at least two years ago. There was one other time, but she was excused because she'd injured herself."

Lin hummed under his breath, eyeing all the details.

"I see."

"Aren't you going to try and find her!?" Moriko hissed. Lin looked up at her.

"We aren't really into the habit of leaving people to die; usually people are found after the spirit has been dealt with. What makes this unusual is that there was no spiritual activity last night, so that leads to the question…" he trailed off as Naru entered clumsily, hitting the doorframe with his shoulder.

He looked like a mess, with his hair messy, and wearing a t-shirt instead of a normal dress shirt, and jeans instead of slacks. His face was pale, with dark rings under his eyes, and he looked as if he hadn't slept at all. Lin frowned.

"Sleeping beauty finally awakes. Did your Princess Charming wake you up?"

"Shut up, Lin." Naru snapped. Moriko looked at him in shock, and Lin shrugged.

"Did you realize that one of the girls is missing?"

.

Naru slumped on the couch, head in his hands.

"I saw. Mai and Ayako are calming down the mother as we speak. It's never happened on the first night before. Lord, my head hurts." The last part was muttered, and Lin narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired teen.

"Did you touch anything?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Um…" Moriko broke in, and Lin turned to her.

"Thank you, for bringing this to our attention. Hopefully, we'll be able to find your sister before…something happens."

Moriko stood, and left. Before she reached the door, Naru spoke up.

"You should keep a close eye on your younger sister, Moriko-san. If one went missing, then either of you two could be next."

Moriko nodded jerkily, and then left. Naru leaned his head back on the couch, and inhaled heavily.

"I think I may have caught what Mai had yesterday."

Lin nodded sagely, an amused smirk twisting his lips.

"It's all that kissing you two do behind closed doors. It spreads the germs."

Lin ducked the cushion thrown at him, and threw it back. He looked at the teen.

"Go to sleep Naru; I won't hold it against you. Madoka's here anyway, so we can play the " _She's the boss"_ game for a while."

Naru nodded, and settled down on the couch, eyes closing, asleep in seconds.

.

Lin observed him for a few minutes, before turning back to the monitors.

' _So, it begins.'_

.

.

.

.

* * *

.

 **I'm really not happy with the amount of time this chapter took me. I started it on the 27** **th** **of January, and it's now 15** **th** **of February. Not. Happy. School has started, but we are required to do a piece of writing a week, so hopefully that will help improve my writing speed.**

 **As usual,**

 **READ AND**

 **REVIEW!**

 **Thanks to DC Joker for reviewing the last chapter; I don't want to be a review whore and make it 5 reviews before the next chapter, if anyone is reading this at all, so if you are, please read and review.**

 **And tell me what you want to see in the next chapter, because that always helps.**

 **Please.**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori**


	7. The Damned

**Hey everyone.**

 **So, I'd first like to thank most of those who reviewed, barring the one who suggested that I should get rid of most of my OC's. It was incredibly rude, and it hurt, because I'd put a lot of work into those characters, and to have someone tell me to kill them was a major blow to my work ethic, as I went through most of my work, and saw where Nollene and Maya, Panther and even Lin's shiki played important roles, along with some coming up.**

 **I apologize for the delay in this update for those of you who reviewed a long time ago, and I hope that this chapter is worth it.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori Li.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **Day 3**

 **.**

Madoka Mori stared at her case notes, and frowned.

Both Naru and Mai had been affected by whatever the hell was going on, and Naru had mentioned problems sleeping, despite not touching anything. Mai was just exhausted, period. What made this even more confusing was that not only had one of the girls disappeared from underneath their noses, Nollene hadn't been adversely affected by anything; fainting, nausea, headaches, muscular fatigue, nothing. Which stood to the question: Why Naru and Mai?

Neither had heard from Gene at all during the night, and none of them had had any weird dreams; psychic or otherwise.

And it was giving Madoka a headache.

.

Lin tapped her shoulder, and she spun around to face him, biting her lip.

"Did they find…um…"

"Shika?" Lin supplied, a wry grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. Madoka nodded, shooting him an injured look.

"I was getting there. Did they find Shika?"

Lin's grin faded, and he shook his head.

"No. Naru's questioning the step-father as we speak."

Madoka stared at him, and Lin frowned.

"Do I have something on my face?" Madoka shook her head, still staring at him.

"You let _Naru_ talk to the step-father? After that whole thing with Mai when we got here? Please don't tell me Mai's in the same room as them."

"No, she's with Nollene, going to get the girls. Why?"

Madoka exited base quickly, Lin on her heels, trying to get an explanation out of her.

.

"Ka, what the hell? Why are we keeping Mai out of the same room as the stepfather, and why are we not letting Naru talk to him? Don' think that I haven't noticed your manoeuvring over the past two days either."

"Because,' Madoka hissed over her shoulder, 'ever since Mai and Naru shook hands with the stepfather, they've been out of sorts. Naru isn't sleeping well, and Mai's gifts are all over the place. Not to mention the looks that the creep has been sending Mai, and the fact the Naru has, for once in his life, not been oblivious to this, and has been watching Mai more often."

Lin raised an eyebrow.

"So instead of watching her for 10 minutes discreetly, he's now watching her for 30 minutes discreetly?"

Madoka spun around, and shoved Lin against the wall. Lin's eyes widened in surprise as his back collided with the wall, and Madoka's forearm pressed against his collarbone. Her eyes were blazing, and Lin narrowed his own as his mind processed her words.

"Are you saying that the _stepfather_ may have something to do with the disappearance of the girls, and Mai and Naru's…issues?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying, Koujo. Stop acting like this is a joke, and pay attention!"

"I'm not acting like this is a joke, Madoka." Koujo hissed at her, pushing her away and standing up straight. Madoka felt a surge of annoyance as he towered over her, and she gritted her teeth.

"I'm being perfectly serious, Ka. These are serious accusations, and you _know_ that if Naru hears them he'll flip, and send both Mai _and_ Nollene back, leaving us down a medium and a psychic. I know you have some kind of mystical nature thing that you do,' he ignored Madoka's growl, 'but none of us can see spirits as clearly as Nollene and possibly Mai."

"Why, Koujo! Are you saying that your skills are inferior?" Madoka's smile had a razor edge.

"Why you…."

.

The temperature suddenly dropped several degrees, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who was the cause. Madoka looked at Koujo, resignation written all over her face.

"We're doomed."

.

* * *

.

.

Naru was ticked off. No, screw that, he was pissed. Livid. Seriously contemplating murder.

.

The step-father was an absolute moron, and wouldn't stop talking. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He'd stop talking for all of five seconds to take a breath, and then he'd start up again. He'd found himself wishing for Madoka to come in with her sharp tongue to shut the _kusobaka_ up around the twenty-minute mark, and then for Lin to set his shiki on him at thirty minutes. The portal to another world came in at thirty-five minutes, and the possession by a ghost at thirty-seven. The fortieth minute was coming up, and Naru found himself debating between a singing contest between Nollene and Madoka (his sister was talented, but singing was _not_ her forte), the ground collapsing due to land subsidence, being de-aged back to ten, or the TARDIS flying in and squashing the step-father.

He was leaning more towards the later, considering his headache had just cleared up.

.

The stepfather was rattling on about anything and everything he found wrong, from Naru's age, to Lin's nationality, to Nollene's accent, Mai's personality, and Madoka's choice in attire to Ayako's hair colour. Once he'd exhausted those, he started all over again, adding further ridiculous accusations that were downright _stupid_ , and made Naru want to bang his head against the wall. When he started on about how foreigners shouldn't be allowed in the country, let alone able to work for any company, Naru's grip on his explosive temper started to loosen; ice forming at the very corners of the windows.

"…it's bad enough that they even allow women to work these days! It's a disgrace to the economy, and how they flaunt themselves like some kind of prostitute…"

.

The door opened with a bang. Nollene stood in the doorway, chest heaving. Naru immediately snapped to attention, moving towards his distraught sister.

"What happened?" he demanded, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. Nollene swallowed, and took a few deep breaths, her gaze fixed on the floor. Naru closed his eyes, figuring it out, even as Nollene spoke.

.

.

"Moriko is gone."

.

.

* * *

.

.

.

It was dark, Moriko could tell that much, and damp. Her bones ached in the cold, and she tried to wrap her arms around herself.

Chains clanked, and metal dug into her wrists as she moved, the icy coldness shocking her into being fully awake. She groaned as her head throbbed, and there was a rustling of cloth to the left of her.

"Moriko?" the voice was small and shaking, and Moriko turned her head in the direction that the voice had come from , squinting into the darkness as if she could force light from her eyeballs.

"Shika?"

There was a muffled sob, and the sound of tears dripping to the floor, before Moriko sensed movement, hearing the chains rattle, and then clank as they came up short. It must have been enough, because Shika pressed up against her, sharing what meagre warmth she had to give. Through her clothes, Moriko could feel her sister's bones, and the stiffness of dried blood on cloth. There was dampness on her shoulder where Shika's tears soaked into her thin jacket, and Moriko closed her eyes.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Shika whispered, causing Moriko to lean her head against Shika's in a comforting gesture.

"No,' Moriko whispered back, 'We're in hell."

.

.

* * *

.

.

Upstairs, in base, Koujo held his phone to his ear, leaning against the window, staring out across the grounds. He listened to the dial tone, watching Mai, Nollene and Akiko lay on the grass, talking. His shiki, Iyaka, was hovering near them, her fox form hidden by the large, overgrown bushes that lined the lawn. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered; Mai and Nollene could take care of themselves, but Iyaka insisted on watching them.

Nollene was laughing at something, and Mai was blushing, while Akiko had a small smile on her face, so it was more than likely that Nollene had mentioned Mai and Naru's relationship, and was teasing Mai about it. Again. It was normal for Nollene to bring it up at least once a day, and it annoyed Naru to no end.

The phone clicked, and a sharp voice sounded over the line.

.

" _Shibuya Police Department, Sergeant Kanata speaking_."

"Didn't know you got a promotion, Hitori. Looks like all that overtime paid off."

" _Koujo?_ "

"The one and only. Listen I need a favour, if it's not too much trouble."

" _Anything, as long as it's not illegal_."

.

Koujo looked around once more, scanning for any eavesdroppers, or any signs that there was something else. Turning to face the monitors, he made sure that his mouth wasn't in view of the door, the window, or any of the creepy paintings that lined the wall.

"Can you, please, give me whatever you have on…Kaname Yaniata."

.

.

* * *

.

.

.

John shut the door to his flat with a sigh, shoulders slumping as he sagged against the door, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. It just got too much sometimes. Yasu had gone on a date yesterday, and had come back earlier than normal, tight-lipped and rather short with John. And very, very secretive. Monk was at Mt. Kouya, visiting his family, and Masako was shooting some new episode for her show. The rest of them were on a case, and John had never felt lonelier.

Sure, Yasu was here, but he wasn't exactly a great conversationalist at the moment. Come to think of it, John wasn't sure he had any other friends (if he could call them that. He knew next to nothing regarding Lin, Naru and Monk) outside of SPR. There were people at the church, but they were all older than him by at least two decades.

There was a buzzing, as his phone vibrated on the table, and he spared a glance at the caller ID.

.

 _Mark._

.

John picked it up with a sigh, his thumb hovering over the _Answer_ button, before it cut to voice mail.

.

" _Hi, this is John. Either my phone's dead, I'm talking to someone else, or I'm ignoring you. Please leave a message anyway."_

.

There was a tone, before his older brother's voice came over the line, a little hesitant, but still as soft-spoken as ever.

.

" _Uhh…hi, little bro. Um… It's Mark…I just wanted to know how you were doing, wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Uh…we're all fine here; Matt has a girlfriend called Marielle, and she's pretty cool. She's into Computer stuff that goes completely over my head, and over everyone else's as well. Aunt Miriam is expecting her first child; they want to call it Timothy or Titus. Frankly, I think that it's going to be a girl, but hey, who really cares? Esther and Luke are off on a hunt in Cairns somewhere, so I escaped the house, because, well…Dad's a bit of a bastard, as usual, but he got worse after you left._

 _He's re-enforced the rule about always hunting in two's, but since Matt's busy with Marielle, I'm all on my lonesome. I wish you were here, not just so we could go on hunts, like we used to, but so I could actually_ pretend _to go on a hunt, but really go surfing at Bondi or on the Gold Coast for a week, with Dad not being any wiser. I'd better go. I don't want Dad finding out that I'd gone into town for a few hours without him knowing, and then blowing up at me again. Love you, miss you, and stay safe. Bye."_

.

There was a click as Mark hung up, and then the tone. John stared at the phone in his hand, biting his lip. It wasn't the first time Mark had called him; he called at least once every six months to update John on what was happening in Australia, but…it was the first time John had bothered to pick up the phone.

Because Mark knew. Mark knew about the bruises, the cuts, the injuries and the reasons he'd left. Mark knew about the experiments, and the injections, and the… _thing_ , which cropped up every time he got angry or upset, which was normally in the presence of his father. Mark was the closest to him, and the one who had pooled his money together with Luke and himself to get him the airline ticket. He had a good rapport with Luke, and a kind of friendship-ish thing with Matthew, but it was Mark that he looked up to the most when he was a kid.

.

John sighed, and flopped down, boneless, onto the couch, kicking his feet up onto the end, phone dropped on the coffee table. If he called, Mark would pick up, and then there would be the whole ' _where the hell have you been?"_ spiel that would come with it, along with _Peter_ tracking him through the call, and Mark getting in trouble for not telling Peter where he was.

"Sometimes,' he muttered, 'I wish my life wasn't so complicated."

Not to mention that he _still_ hadn't told the rest of SPR about the _thing_ , which could prove problematic in later cases, and the fact that Ms. Hara had seen _the scars_. That would be an awkward explanation if it ever came up in a conversation.

.

* * *

.

 _"Hold him down."_

 _The voice was cold, and if John hadn't heard it so many times before, usually directed at him, he would have hardly recognized the voice as that of his father. He thrashed against the hands holding him, twisting and turning on the cold metal table. There was a whoosh of flames, and John turned his head, facing the brazier filled with hot coals._

 _"We welcome you, John Malachi Brown, into the Brotherhood, as we welcomed your father, and your grandfather."_

 _John fought harder, trying to escape._

 _"It is in your blood, to belong. It is your right, as a legacy. It is because of your power, that we welcome you."_

 _._

 _"Piss off." John snarled, spitting at the hooded figure in front of him. His cheek smarted, and John blinked the stars out of his vision, before he turned back to the figure._

 _"Did you seriously just_ bitch slap _me? What are you, teenage girls?"_

 _The figure moved, and another one stepped forward, holding a cattle brand that was glowing cherry red. John paled, and gulped, renewing his struggles sevenfold, but to no avail. Flames flickered at the edge of the room as he panicked, and some grew more daring, creeping up the walls. The coals in the brazier caught fire, and one of the hooded men stepped back from it, frowning._

 _The cattle brand was hovering above his wrist, and John could see the shape it formed; a cross, with the ends sharpened so that it looked more like a stake. He shook his head, the flames climbing higher._

 _._

 _"No, don't…"_

 _._

 _The coals flared, and the man jumped back, uttering an oath of surprise._

 _The brand pressed down, and John screamed as the scent of burning flesh filled the air._

 _._

 _The room erupted into an inferno._

.

* * *

.

.

"Honey, I'm home!"

.

Yasu's voice broke John out of his musings, and he sighed, closing his eyes. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with his hyperactive flatmate.

"Hi." He mumbled, flinging his arm over his eyes. The couch dipped, and John knew that Yasu had taken a seat next to him.

"What's up with the cross tattoo on your wrist?"

John froze, and stared at Yasu, eyes flicking between his now uncovered brand and Yasu. His sleeve had been pushed up, and the black was visible for all to see. John swore internally, and pulled his sleeve down.

"High-school rebellion." He lied smoothly. Yasu rolled his eyes, and stood up.

"One, day, I'm going to get some of your secrets out of you."

John gave him a wry grin, raising an eyebrow.

.

.

"I'd like to see you try."

.

.

.

 **There we go, one chapter wrapped up and waiting to have reviews dedicated to it! Please, return my sanity, and review. There is a box, it takes less than 30 seconds, and please tell me what you want to see in the next chapter.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori**


	8. Fright Moves

**Sorry for the wait, but school is hard, and it's my last year, so school work will always come first, so I can get into University and such. I also decided to kick-start my novel again, because it's been sitting on my USB with no changes made to it since 2014, and I am to get it published sometime in the future. But, it's holidays now, and I should hopefully have finished this by the end of them.**

 **You may have noticed the name change, and I put the reason up on my profile; it's the name I write under for competitions and some school work (although my English teacher knows it's me anyway), and what I hope to publish under.**

 **Thanks to the support that I got from reviewers after the last chapter concerning my OC's; I'm glad you like them, and they aren't becoming Mary-Sue's or John Deere's/ John Doe's. I think that's everything, so enjoy the fruits of my labour.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **Day 3- Evening.**

.

"I want you to leave."

.

Nollene blinked, and stared at her brother from her position on the couch, bent over files.

"Excuse me?"

Noll didn't even have the grace to look at her, or even turned his head slightly in her direction, instead focusing on his Little Black Book of Secrets and Lies, his pen scribbling over the page at frightening speed. But there were tells, oh there were tells. His knuckles were whiter than normal, and his pen was leaving deeper indents on the page than usual. His hair was messy and ruffled, indicating that he'd run his hands through it several times, and his bottom lip was slightly reddened and swollen; he'd been worrying it all morning after the disappearance of the eldest girl, and the 'discussion' with the step-father, which she had barged into with the news of Moriko's disappearance.

Since then, he'd been acting suspicious; not talking to anyone, and writing obsessively in his notebook. That, coupled with Madoka's increasing frustration on something none of them really understood, Lin's mysterious phone call that he had made twenty minutes before, while watching her, Mai and Akiko talk, and Ayako's sudden need to go visit the nearest shrine to ask for guidance, simply screamed ' _there's something that they're not telling Mai and I."_ Mai still had her headaches, and her PK was all over the place; levitating glasses and making invisible winds blow through the rooms, and she'd had no psychic dreams ever since she'd shaken the step-father's hand. The mother had gone near catatonic when the news reached her, and the step-father had raged and ranted to high-heaven, thoroughly irritating everyone for the rest of the day.

.

Nollene glared at her brother when he didn't reply, and stood up, ignoring the surprised looks from Mai and Lin, who were meditating and watching the monitors respectively. She walked over to him, and leaned against the table, invading his personal space.

"I'm going to ask you to repeat that please, Noll, since I'm pretty sure you said that you wanted me to leave, but we both know that that in itself is ridiculous, considering that if I did leave, you would be down a medium."

Noll placed his pen down on the page of his notebook and turned to face her, face masterfully blank in the face of her ire.

"I did, in fact, say I wanted you to leave. Why? Because I have reason to believe that either you or Mai could possibly disappear on this case like the girls. Anything else, Nollene?"

Nollene crossed her arms, teeth gritted.

"I don't see you asking Mai to leave, Noll. I don't see _you_ leaving, in case this spirit decides that he'd like a nice, Noll-sized snack. I don't see Lin packing up the monitors, because we're all leaving. So, why am I the only one who is being told to leave, _Oliver_?"

She saw him bit his lip, and he stood up, towering a good head taller than her, and looking down on her. This had never failed to make her seen smaller, but she was honestly, too pissed off to care much. How _dare_ he single her out like this; to make her sound like the one who needed protecting? She could take care of her herself, dammit, and her brother's pride will not get in the way of her staying to complete this case! Besides, they needed her, didn't they? Masako was shooting a new season of her show, and wouldn't be finished until late next month. Nollene knew from eavesdropping on Lin and Noll talking that Maya didn't want to be involved in cases, so that ruled her out, and Mai wasn't a medium. Neither was Lin of Madoka, to her knowledge, so unless Oliver had suddenly merged with the hanging-around-spirit-boy Gene and absorbed his powers and become a medium, she was the only one they had.

.

"I'm asking you to leave, Nollene,' he began quietly, 'because I'm concerned for your wellbeing. Not because I no longer have a need for you."

"But you need me on the case; I'm the only medium here. You can't send me home. No, you _won't_ send me home."

Oliver looked at her, his mask of indifference slowly cracking.

"And what if you get hurt? Kidnapped?" The ' _Killed'_ went unsaid, but Nollene found that she didn't need to hear him say it; it was implied heavily, and she clenched her fists, staring up at his eyes defiantly.

"This isn't a deserted road in the country,' Nollene hissed, taking a small amount of satisfaction in seeing him flinch from the allusion, 'I'm not by myself at night. There isn't a lake next to the road."

There was a gasp from Mai as she put the clues together, but Nollene continued on, regardless.

"I'm not sixteen. I'm not about to be hit by a car in a hit-and-run, before being thrown into the lake. Dammit, Oliver, _I can take care of myself!"_

"Nollene…" Lin began, but Nollene continued over him.

"I'm my own person, Oliver. _I'm not Gene_. _I'm not going to die_. So stop being so bloody overprotective!"

Oliver looked like he'd been punched in the stomach, and then had all the blood drained out of him by a vampire. He looked a little lost, and his eyes had glazed over slightly, before he shook his head, and turned away from Nollene.

"I want you safe, Nollene. Madoka is dropping you back at the flat tomorrow, when she picks up some case files. End of discussion."

Nollene bristled.

"Don't you _dare_ turn your back on me, Oliver Lucian Davis. I'm not finished yet."

Oliver spun back around, and Nollene was taken aback by the amount of raw anger she saw in his eyes. But, beneath the anger, there was concern, annoyance, and…fear. He was afraid of something, and he was sending her away from it. _God dammit Oliver, this isn't the time for chivalry!_ She had a sudden sinking feeling, as she was trapped under his gaze that she had taken their argument one step too far for Oliver to handle in a civil mood. The man staring back at her wasn't the brother that watched Doctor Who marathons with her and dissected bad horror films; this was the man who'd made a promise to their parents that he would keep safe; keep both of them safe, no matter the cost.

.

"I'm finished, Nollene, so don't argue with me on this." His voice was cold; colder than she'd ever heard it before, especially directed at her. She could practically _feel_ the icicles forming on her skin at those words, but she wasn't deterred.

"If this is about the promise you made Martin and Luella…"

"It's not about that at all, Nollene."

"…Then I am well aware of what it entails. I'm not a child."

"You're acting like one right now, Nollene, so forgive me if I don't seem reassured by your words."

Nollene threw her hands up in the air, before crossing her arms once more, eyes burning with fury at the way he was treating her. He always managed to win their arguments; not that they had many, but when they did, they always got ugly.

"I'm staying,' she snarled, 'whether you like it or not!"

" _GODDAMMIT NOLLENE_!' Oliver shouted, finally losing his temper after months of accumulated stress and worry, ' _I CAN'T LOSE YOU TO_!"

.

The windows rattled in their frames, and Nollene's hair fizzled with the amount of static energy that rolled of Oliver in sheets, reminding her of a raging storm rampaging across vast plains. Oliver was staring at her, eyes flickering from gold to midnight blue in his inner turmoil, and from the battle between his willpower and his gift. Nollene took a step back, and closed her eyes, both parts annoyed and anguished that she was the cause of so much stress on her brother. The wind died down suddenly, and Nollene opened her eyes, seeing Mai talking to Oliver in low, urgent tones, while Oliver had his eyes closed, and seemed to be breathing deeply, controlling his PK once more. Nollene felt awful, and conceded defeat, realizing that this was neither the time nor the place to be arguing with him.

"I'm sorry, Noll,' she whispered, eyes downcast. She felt drained, and exhausted; anger always took a toll on her. Oliver shook his head, and stared at her.

"I'm sorry too. Get some rest; there's no telling what time Madoka will want to leave in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight,' Nollene murmured, exiting base and heading down to the room she shared with Akiko. Her insides felt heavy, and something didn't sit right inside of her; she always felt bad after arguing with Oliver, but this time it was worse. Maybe because it had been in front of Mai and Lin, or because she'd brought up Gene, which was a strict no-go area while arguing. Either way, she'd apologize in the morning, profusely, with tea and a hug.

.

It would be alright; it had to be.

.

.

* * *

.

.

 **Day 4**

.

Mai woke up, feeling refreshed for the first time on this case. Her body still ached, but it wasn't as pronounced as it was before. She sat up and looked at the still sleeping Ayako, who'd come back late with bad news. The tree spirits she had been talking to had no advice for this case, but had merely given her an obscure warning about ' _Beware the cut root',_ which did not make sense at all. Ayako had been in a kind of sour mood for most of the case, although Mai supposed it was because she was missing Monk, which was kind of cute.

.

Making her way out of the room after getting dressed, careful not to make too much noise in case she woke up Ayako (who would probably kill her with her heels if she was woken up), she made her way to Nollene and Akiko's room, ready to face the day, and Naru's snark due to tea-deprivation. She knocked on the door, and frowned when there was no answer.

"Nollene? Akiko-san? Are you awake?" she called, hand resting on the knob. When there was no answer, she turned it slowly, opening the door as quietly as she could. There was a slight creak as the un-oiled hinges protested, but Mai continued to open the door, letting it swing open by itself as she entered the room.

.

Well, what was left of it.

.

There were definite signs of a struggle; manuscript paper all over the floor, Nollene's mat halfway across the room, the covers on Akiko's bed twisted and on the floor, and what looked to be knife marks on the floor that started deep, before fading into nothing as soon as they hit the wall. Said knife was stuck in the wall, amongst chipped wood and scratched paint. Mai felt sick. They had been so careful, and had thought that Nollene and Akiko sharing a room would prevent Akiko from being kidnapped, but it looked like the culprit had merely taken Nollene as well, in order to hide better, no matter the consequences.

Mai eyed Nollene's luggage, then shook her head. She'd need to tell Naru and Lin before she did anything that might throw off her PK again; the churning sensation that she got when it wasn't aligned wasn't very pleasant, and more often than not made her sick, if not moody and irritable.

She turned away from the scene of destruction, and bumped into Madoka, falling onto the floor and raising an eyebrow when Madoka stayed stock-still, eyeing the room in horror.

"Madoka?"

Madoka started, and stared at Mai with a pale face.

"Does Naru know about his?"

Mai shook her head, frowning.

"I got here less than three minutes ago; how could Naru know about it?"

Madoka took a deep breath, and Mai understood exactly what she was thinking- Naru was going to kill someone when he found out, and Mai sincerely hoped that it wasn't her.

"Koujo called one of his contacts in the police, and asked for any information that they had on the step-father, due to a gut feeling. I got the results, but I wish to speak with Naru first; some of it…isn't very pleasant to read, let alone imagine. It could also possibly cause Naru to blow up the building, so I'd like you on hand to calm him down."

Mai looked at her older sister/crazy aunt figure, and bit her lip.

"That bad?"

Madoka shook her head, suddenly appearing much older than Mai knew her to be.

.

"Worse."

.

* * *

.

.

Madoka and Lin sat opposite Mai and Naru, with Ayako watching the monitors. Mai was sitting a lot closer to Naru than what was probably deemed acceptable for employer/employee, but Mai wasn't taking any chances with the likelihood that something would upset Naru within the file.

Hearing that Nollene was missing had seen him sag onto the couch with an air of defeat, and his head in his hands, muttering things under his breath in English that Mai was certain she didn't want anyone to translate. Then there was the pacing, the miniscule hand gestures and the mussed hair from running his hands through it too often, and the swollen lip that came from biting it, followed by the eerie stillness that accompanied him now, as he was sitting on the couch with her. All the while the windows were frosted over, and the room was a few degrees chiller than normal.

.

Across from them, Madoka and Lin exchanged nervous glances, before Madoka opened the file.

"Before we begin, I would like to explain how we arrived at this conclusion. First, the handshake with the step-father. Both of your gifts went haywire when you touched him, but Lin's didn't. That's because although Lin has some slight PK-MT, he doesn't use it often, and most of his talents are externally based; his shiki, exorcisms and spells only use a portion of his _chi_ , or whatever you want to call it, because he can actually pull it from the earth or something. He can explain it better. Both of you, however, are incredibly gifted PK users, and most of your talents are _internally_ based, which means that you rely on your inner core, rather than outside influences, like Ayako, or even Monk. You both, however, use these gifts frequently and have a bigger core, which can become easily corrupted by an outside force. Still with me?"

Mai blinked.

"Lin's external, we're internal, so we got affected. Got it." She replied in a monotone.

Madoka huffed, but continued nonetheless.

"Anyway, the second point which I'd like to bring to you is Nollene. Now, Nollene came later than the rest of us and, as such, didn't shake the step-father's hand, which was why none of her gifts were affected. However, although Mrs. Yaniata and both of the girls spoke of a spirit, we haven't seen one. Or rather, Nollene hadn't seen one. Why? Third point; someone is blocking Nollene. Once she became a threat, however, she was targeted, and kidnapped. Both Lin and Tatsuo (Lin's head shiki, Mai) assure me that the step-father has no psychic ability whatsoever, and that leads me to my fourth point: he isn't working alone. There may be possible outside influence, most likely an earth spirit with a grudge, or even a lesser demon."

Mai raised her hand.

"Question. Lesser demon?"

"Lower Demons are animalistic looking, usually a mixture,' Lin explained, 'Higher Demons are the things that we saw on…the case at the boarding school, and with… _The Incident_. Lesser Demons is a slang term for the ones that are somewhere in-between; usually a spirit that has become overly twisted, or even a less intelligent Upper Demon, but mostly spirits who thrive on hate, fear and anger in the environment. Sometimes…lust, but not often."

Mai nodded to show her understanding, but she only vaguely understood. Naru was frowning beside her, with a pensive look on his face, and Mai leaned closer to him; bumping shoulders and reaching down to grab his ice-cold hand in hers. Naru started slightly at the contact, but didn't pull his hand away. Mai counted this as a win.

.

"Fifth point: the girls travelled through the wall. So, there either have to be some hidden doors in the place, or it was astral projection. However, judging by the marks made by Nollene's knife, she was dragged through the wall. Last point: they have to be somewhere within the house. The blueprints for this house have been destroyed in an archive fire that happened years ago, so we have nothing on that front. But, there were no signs of a struggle outside that there would normally be, like broken branches or even footprints. Ergo, they're inside."

.

There was silence, and Mai felt overwhelmed by the amount of information that was just shoved into her face like a cream pie; some of it stuck, some didn't.

"You really though this through, didn't you." The offhand comment came from the otherwise silent Naru, and Madoka beamed at him.

"What can I say? I love watching Sherlock."

Mai blinked, and shook her head, noticing Lin rolling his eyes. Naru tapped his fingers on his chin, a look of deep concentration etched across his face.

"If they're inside the house…would it be possible to find them using psychometry?"

"Possibly,' Lin ventured, 'but I wouldn't recommend it. You see, even if they aren't dead, something…else may have happened to them."

Naru's gaze sharpened into chips of blue granite, and Lin hurried to elaborate.

"In the police file, it had past crimes that he was suspected of. One such was the…rape and murder…of fifteen-year old Saki Matsukawa, who was his niece, ten years ago. She had been placed in his care after the death of her parents during an earthquake, and was later reported missing about a month afterwards. The body was never found, and foul play was suspected. The neighbours often commented that when they saw the girl, for she wasn't out of the house often, she was pale and withdrawn, and had suspicious bruises around her arms. There have been several disappearances over the years after that, all within the age range of thirteen to nineteen."

"Exactly the age range of the girls." Mai blurted out, horrified. Lin nodded, but it was Madoka who continued.

"The only difference for this one is that all the other girls were by themselves. These three are sisters, and he married their mother, which indicates that he planned this out for some time. There were witness reports of the other girls, mostly from friends, who stated that each of the suspected victims supposedly turned down Yaniata, before going outside by themselves; be it for quiet, air or a smoke. With these girls, they didn't like him either, because he married their mother rather quickly."

"Claudius marries Gertrude, Hamlet is upset, so Claudius aims to get rid of Hamlet." Naru muttered. Lin rolled his eyes again, but both Mai and Madoka looked at him strangely. Naru noticed their looks, and waved his hand.

"Doesn't matter, English thing. What other options do we have?"

"Maybe we should call the police." Ayako jumped in from her position by the monitors. "We deal in the supernatural, not kidnappings and psychopaths, although we seem to come across the later quite often."

Lin shook his head.

"We need proof before we can even think of calling the police. First we need to find the girls, and get rid of whatever is helping Yaniata. Then we call the police."

"We still need to find a way to find Nollene and the others." Madoka pointed out, before her gaze lightened, and a crafty look came into her eyes, even as she turned to look at Mai. Mai shrunk under the scrutiny, and looked around. Anywhere but Madoka's eyes.

"Mai…" Madoka began in a sing-song voice, "were you feeling better this morning?"

Mai blinked, thrown by the unexpected question. For a crazy second, she was afraid that Madoka was going to offer her up as a sacrificial lamb to whatever was helping Yaniata, so that they could follow her.

"Um, yeah, I guess. Why?"

Madoka's grin grew, and Mai was reminded of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, the distant reaches of her mind pondering whether Madoka and the Cat were related in some weird, grinning way.

.

"Would you feel up to doing a little astral projection?"

Mai blinked, and then shook her head, holding her hands out in front.

"No, no, nononononono. I don't even know what I will find, and what if I get stuck, or I can't find them, or…"

There was a light pinch near the base of her neck, and Mai felt herself blacking out. She managed to mumble " _Traitor"_ in the general vicinity that Naru was in, before she found herself falling into the abyss…

.

.

.

.

.

 **Wow. Lots of dialogue, and info, and…wow. I think, that it is possibly one of the better chapters I have written this year. So the usual shindig.**

 **Read**

 **Review**

 **Favourite**

 **Follow**

 **Whatever, as long as it involves the box down the bottom with word in it. Ta!**

 **.**

 **Siofra.**


	9. Deadly Persuasion

**Bam, I'm good. My personal challenge is to do 17 chapters in 7 days. Well, 5 days left now, so I'd better stop rambling and let you read, huh.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **Caution; this scene contains allusion to rape of a minor, and incest.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

.

Once again, Mai found herself making a very graceful entrance into the spirit plane.

That is to say, she face-planted, _again_ , cursed loudly, _again_ , and proceeded to ignore her surroundings in favour of nursing her now sore head, _again_.

From the shadows that he'd drawn around himself, so as to hide his presence from Mai, Gene watched in wry amusement as Mai grouched bout the entrance and how ' _it needs a better way to get in, otherwise I'm going to break my nose, and wouldn't that look funny on the physical form if my nose suddenly broke soon after I went to sleep!"_ Gene bit his lip to prevent a chuckle escaping, before he stepped out, causing Mai to shriek in surprise.

"Hello, Mai."

Mai pouted at him, and stuck her tongue out.

"One of these days, I'm going to put a bell around your ankle, so I can know when you're sneaking up on me." She grumbled.

Gene shrugged at her, not bothered. Noll had often used the same threat several times, usually when he was studying and Gene wanted to go outside, but that was only because Noll got sucked into the book, and wouldn't come out unless someone gave him a fright. He'd probably taken off about six years of Noll's life with the amount of times he'd scared him. But it had so been worth it. Especially when Noll squeaked after Gen had jabbed him in the ribs.

"Details, Mai. Anyway, I have something that I want to show you."

"Frost couldn't do it?"

"She's on vacation; something about resting in peace for once? I don't know; I tuned out after about thirty seconds."

Mai muttered something under her breath, and the action reminded Gene eerily of what Lin used to do after himself and Noll had pulled a particularly vicious prank (the grass snake incident was never to be spoken of. Ever). He shook his head, and grabbed Mai's hand, pulling her along the astral plane towards a glowing blue light. Mai looked apprehensive at the sight of it, and shot Gene a questioning look that was equal parts Lin, Madoka, Noll and Frost. He nodded reassuringly, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This is a third person viewing of Saki Matsukawa's…ordeal. I thought that you'd like it better than first person."

Mai paled, and shakily ran a hand through her loose hair.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

Gene looked at her, confused. He didn't, actually, know the details of what had happened, but Saki hadn't been very forthcoming when he'd spoken to her; very tight-lipped and nervous. Still, she had given him the memory so that he could alter it, but there wasn't much more that he knew. Judging from Mai's reaction, she knew something he didn't, and that made him nervous. What had happened? He shook his thoughts away, and grabbed the orb.

"Ready?"

Mai looked like she was going to be sick.

"As I'll ever be. God, I hope Naru appreciates what I'm doing." She muttered the last part, and Gene raised an eyebrow, before he dragged them into the memory.

.

* * *

.

.

 _A young girl lay on her bed, a breeze floating through the partially open window tousling her short hair. She looked to be studying, but would stop every so often, and gaze longingly at a picture of two people smiling, with their arms around a little girl. The room, other than the bed and the desk that sagged in the corner, was bare, with boxes and boxes stacked up neatly, which obviously held her personal affects. There was a knock on the door, and Saki called out._

 _"It's open!"_

 _The door opened, and Mai narrowed her eyes at a much younger looking Yaniata. He looked very much the same, except he didn't have any grey hair, and was more muscular than podgy. His eyes, however, held the same gleam in them that made Mai feel uncomfortable, and his lips were curving into a leer as he eyed up his niece. Gene felt sick watching, and he was sure that if he had a physical form, he would have vomited at the sheer horror he felt while watching._

 _"Is there something you wanted, Uncle?" Saki's voice was cold, and very unwelcoming; it made Mai shiver with the amount of coldness emitted; it could have given Naru's annoyed tone a run for its money._

 _Yaniata stiffened, and his leer turned into a glare for a fraction of a second, as his niece completely ignored him, but reverted into something that resembled a fish gasping for air, that might have passed for a smile in some far reaches of the world. He leaned against the doorframe, looking every inch the concerned uncle, but gave mind to a leopard who was watching in the branches. Or a snake in the grass. Looking at him again, Mai corrected it to a snake; just the right level of slime and icky-ness that made her skin crawl, much like…_ him.

 _"Just wanted to check that my darling niece is settling in well. It wouldn't do for Child Services to do an inspection and find that your boxes aren't unpacked."_

 _._

 _Saki stiffened, and her fingers clenched around her pen._

 _"It doesn't matter though, because I'm moving to live with Aunt Mona next week, so you don't have to worry about taking care of me. Not much point in unpacking and then packing again soon after, uncle. So if you'll excuse me, I have study to do; I've already missed two weeks of classes and I don't want to fall behind."_

 _Her voice was positively glacial now, and her face was carefully constructed mask of polite blankness; indifferent to the angry expression that Yaniata was now sporting._

 _"Is that so?" Yaniata got out through gritted teeth, and Mai internally winced, even as a slip of the police records floated through her mind._

 _'_ Each one of the girl had turned him down, and then gone outside alone.'

 _'Except this time,' Mai realized with growing horror, 'Saki is alone in the house with him.'_

 _._

 _Saki didn't answer him, instead putting her undivided attention onto her school books, her pen scratching away in a short, quick staccato against the pages of a workbook. Yaniata stared at her for longer than was necessary, eyes roaming up and down in a way that made Mai's skin crawl, before shutting the door quietly, making his way down past the kitchen, and to a cupboard that Mai recognised as the one next to the pantry. It was always locked with a chain, and Yaniata had explained that it was the alcohol cupboard, but, as he opened it and went down the stairs into a basement, Mai realized that Yaniata was a far better liar than he let on._

 _._

 _Mentally noting the entrance way, and the key he unhooked to open the door, Mai and Gene followed him, Gene's normally solid-like appearance pale and transparent looking in his shock and apprehension. The stairs looked slippery, and Mai filed it away for future reference (it wouldn't do for Naru to slip on them; he'd be annoyed at her for weeks), and the ceiling was low (she made a mental note to tell Lin to keep his head down, least he give himself a concussion). Down, down into the deep they went, a sputtering Gaslamp the only light given, before they reached a wooden door that gave mind to the ancient keep doors on some ancient monastery._

 _The door swung open (unlocked, because who could find the door in the first place?), and they followed him into a high ceilinged room; gothic arches and cold stone that reminded Mai of the church where John went, and…_

 _…shackles lining the walls at regular intervals. In the centre of the room, a dark grey spirit lounged, his form too solid to be a regular spirit, and a sneer curling his lips as he laid eyes on Yaniata. Judging from his expression, Yaniata wasn't too fond of the spirit either, but tolerated his presence._

 _"What do you want now?" the spirit drawled, inspecting its ghostly fingernails with detached boredom. In life, he would have been classed as handsome, if not for scarring on his forehead reading 'rapist', and what looked suspiciously like fingernail scratches on his cheek. Gene gritted his teeth, and reminded himself that it was a memory, and not happening at that moment._

 _"I have a new victim for you."_

 _The spirit immediately perked up, and gave Yaniata a smile that would have looked perfectly normal on a paedophile, stalker or a psychopath._

 _"Really?" Yaniata nodded, a leer taking over his face._

 _"You are aware, or course, that my fifteen year old niece resides above us, and doesn't leave the house often?"_

 _"Your point being? I thought that relatives were, how did you put it, off limits?"_

 _Yaniata gritted his teeth, but forced a disappointed look onto his face._

 _"Unfortunately, Saki is not warming up to me as I thought she would. She leaves for my sister's in a week, and…I don't want to let her go, not before she realizes how much her uncle loves her."_

 _The spirit raised his translucent eyebrows, and a smirk crept across his lips in a mockery of an understanding smile._

 _"And what…is in it for me, Yaniata? Surely you don't expect me to offer my services for free? After all, it was you who summoned me. You, who promised much in return. "Partners in crime" you said, yet I see no payment."_

 _"You, my…friend, will get her body to devour, after I'm…finished with her."_

 _The spirit, what Mai now knew to be an earth spirit of some form, bared his pointed teeth, and grinned horrifically._

 _"When do we start?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _Saki had fallen asleep, and her window was slightly open, letting in a cool breeze that ruffled her hair slightly, and raised goosebumps along her bare arms. Mai shared an apprehensive glance with Gene, hoping to whatever deities there were out there that they were not about to witness the reason Yaniata was placed under police suspicion. As if to mock them, the shadows in one corner of the room thickened, and formed into the malevolent figure of the spirit, grinning gleefully. Mai swallowed heavily, and resigned herself to watch the rest._

 _She only lasted to when Saki was dragged through the wall as if it didn't exist, screaming in horror and sobbing hysterically, as the spirit held her close to him, his hands where no man's hands should be without consent. She turned away, shutting her eyes tightly, and she felt Gene's arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him._

 _"I didn't know…" he whispered, and Mai pulled back, shaking her head, a carefully blank mask falling over her features._

 _"Let's just get this over with."_

 _._

 _She turned around, and was greeted with the sight of Yaniata placing Saki in the shackles, before ripping her shirt away, and running his hands up her legs, underneath her shorts, before loosening his belt and undoing the zip on his trousers, before ripping the shorts away as well, leaving Saki clad in just her underwear…_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _There was a dizzying sensation as she as forcibly removed from the vision, a pair of slender hands yanking on the back of her collar. Mai's eyes were trapped within a stormy grey gaze, and she could practically feel the anger radiating off Frost._

 _"Are you out of your mind, Eugene?" Frost asked, voice mildly pleasant, but still managing to send shivers down her spine in fear. Gene was practically see-through, and was shaking._

 _"I…I'm…s…sss…ssorr…sorry….F…Fff…Frost, I thought that…"_

 _"You thought wrong, Eugene. Go to wherever it is you go, and calm down. I'll deal with you later."_

 _Gene vanished, and Frost turned to Mai, pulling her into a hug and smoothing down the girl's hair. Mai was hyperventilating, she could tell, and she couldn't seem to calm down. Frost sighed, and mentally screamed obscenities at the older Davis twin for upsetting Mai like this._

 _"Mai, it's over, it's gone, and you're safe." Frost repeated this over and over, trying to calm the distraught teen ('_ She's nearly twenty' _, Frost realized with slight horror), and get her to listen. It took a while, but Frost managed; Mai's short and shallow breaths replaced with long, calm inhales._

 _"Sorry, Frost, but it was…"_

 _"I know." Frost interrupted, shushing the teen. "Why did you think I pulled you out of it? You're not ready to see…that." Mai nodded, and Frost sighed, taking the girl by the hand and walking in a south-west direction._

 _"But, there was one other reason that I pulled you out. Nollene is close to having a mental breakdown, because that stupid Tengu…"_

 _"Tengu?"_

 _"The spirit helping Yaniata, Mai, do keep up. Anyway, that stupid Tengu has put it into her head that she's going to die, and that no one would ever miss her because they didn't love her in the first place. Now, this wouldn't normally be a problem, because Nollene is one of the most self-confident people I've known, excluding Oliver Davis, but I'm guessing that Naru and Nollene had an argument before she disappeared, and it's eating her."_

 _Mai stopped, and stared at Frost._

 _"How did you know about Nollene? Actually, how did you know about Na…Oliver's nickname?"_

 _Frost shrugged._

 _"I've met Nollene a few times before, and Gene told me. As for Naru, you certainly call him that often enough, and you only ever bring out his real name when you're upset, so…"_

 _Mai flushed, and looked at her feet. She did lose her temper often, usually because Naru made an inane comment that made her feel bad (before he came back, he was a regular topic of her rage), or just because she was upset that he never told her the truth (although, when she thought about it rationally, it made sense), so it was only logical that Frost knew his identity; the amount of times she'd been forced to listen had been plentiful._

 _"Sorry."_

 _Frost waved her hand dismissively, and pulled Mai's hand once more, forcing her to walk alongside her._

 _"Doesn't matter. Anyway, you need to go see Nollene, before she needs months of therapy sessions and hugs from Naru and Lin. I don't care what you say, just clam them all down, because it won't do for Moriko to punch a police officer in the face when they come. Cool? Bye."_

 _"But…" Mai protested, feeling a shove, and tumbling headfirst into the dungeon she had just left._

 _._

 _Yaniata wasn't there, thank God, but what she did see tore her heart. Nollene, Moriko, Shika and Akiko were huddled together, as close as the shackles would allow. Out of all of them, Nollene and Moriko looked the worst; cuts and bruises all over their arms, legs and faces, and Moriko had a split lip, while Nollene had bloody palms. Mai could see Shika's ribs, and her collarbones protruded sharply from out underneath her skin. Akiko looked to be in shock, and had tear tracks on her face, the tears having dried a while ago. Mai frowned, unsure of what she was supposed to do, before moving forward._

 _"Nollene!" she hissed, and Nollene's head shot up, looking around the cell frantically for the source of her voice. However, Shika was the first to spot her, and made to scream, when Moriko covered her mouth, eyes wide._

 _"Don't! If he hears, he'll come and investigate, and we don't want that."_

 _Mai nodded, and smiled reassuringly at the girls, before moving towards Nollene, pulling out a key from her pocket, and handing it to Nollene, who examined it curiously._

 _"Hey. Um… we are coming for you, so just hold on a while longer. The key you're holding has special meaning, both to myself and the rest of SPR. It was, actually, the first thing I managed to astral project, during a case. Masako had been kidnapped, and I gave it to her, as a promise to come and get her, so that she could give it back."_

 _Nollene frowned, turning it over in her hand._

 _"What's it for?"_

 _"It's the house key for the place where my parents used to live. I kept it when my parents passed away, and it became my good luck charm. Maybe it'll bring you luck as well."_

 _Mai felt herself waking up; someone was shaking her shoulder, and calling her name. She started fading, but called out one last thing._

 _"We're coming, I promise!"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _._

Mai woke up to Naru leaning over her, and policemen questioning Lin, Madoka and Ayako. She blinked, and stared at Naru through a sleep-induced haze.

"I thought we weren't going to call the police until we had a location."

"We weren't." Naru gritted out, eyes dark with annoyance. "Yaniata did. He tried to frame us for the disappearance of his 'daughters', and Lin's correcting them. He seems to know the Captain; something about his niece? Hopefully, you have some good news."

Mai yawned, and stretched, drawing attention to them, she ignored them, instead fixing a plastic smile on her face.

"I may be inclined to kill your brother, or send him on to the afterlife after the little stunt he pulled."

"Oh?"

"He pulled me into a memory that he hadn't seen before, and, well…let's just say that the police files on Yaniata about his niece were true."

Naru reeled back, and his eyes searched her face for something.

"He didn't…"

"Frost pulled me out." Mai interrupted, shaking her head. Naru clenched his teeth.

"When you're done with Gene, I'd like to have a go."

Mai shrugged.

"I feel sorry for him. Frost is most likely giving him a lecture, and they're always…fun."

.

"Excuse me, miss? I'd like to have a word." Mai turned slightly, and came face to face with a young, fresh-faced policeman, who looked to be about two years older than her. She yawned again, and cracked her neck, irritation blooming in her gut.

"Sure, why not? There's only four girls stuck in a basement with a Tengu waiting to feed on their flesh after their psychopathic step-father and client is finished with them. So, what's a few more minutes of wasted time?" She said brightly, a saccharine smile twisting her lips as she looked at the policeman with a sense of false cheerfulness.

There was a dead silence as everyone stared at her after her rant in shock, and the slightest hint of admiration in Naru and Lin's eyes. The young officer seemed a little thrown, and Mai narrowed her eyes.

"You are obstructing a police investigation!" he finally managed to stutter out. Mai crossed her arms, not impressed.

"And you're obstructing _our_ investigation, and since we were here first, we take priority. Now shut up and do your job. Naru,' Mai turned to her boss, 'you know how Yaniata said that there was an alcohol cupboard; the one with the chain?"

Naru frowned.

"Yes. Why?"

"He's lying. There's a door behind the cupboard that opens onto a stair case, and leads down into the basement, where we will find Nollene and the girls. Unfortunately, there is a Tengu that is guarding the girls, and I have no idea what to do about it. Him."

A man stepped forward, in uniform, and addressed her.

"Ms. Taniyama, I am Captain Akiyama, in charge of this investigation. If what you are saying is true, is there anything else we should know about?"

"Sir!" the young officer protested, 'You don't seriously believe her?"

"Trainee Kyoto, shut up, or you will be reassigned to desk duty for three months. As for not believing her,' Akiyama shrugged, 'we'll find out in a few minutes, won't we? Lin-san, I assume you'll have some method in dealing with the…Tengu, was it?"

Lin shrugged, his hand over his mouth, thinking.

"I might, but you'll have to promise not to stare; it's very distracting."

Naru stepped forward.

"Would one of your shiki be able to handle a Tengu? I've never come across one before."

Lin and Madoka shared an indescribable look, but it only lasted a few seconds.

"Male Tengu's are generally stronger,' Lin mused, more to himself than anyone else, 'and feeding on human flesh is normally an amplifier. But, they aren't as fast as females, so Láng and Hu are out of the question, as well as the twins; one hit could injure them beyond belief."

"Who?" Trainee Kyoto muttered.

"Tatsuo is…otherwise occupied…and I have no desire to call him in, unless it's desperate, so… _Xióng_." The name was snapped with an air of authority, and Mai blinked as a tall, muscular man appeared out of thin air. Trainee Kyoto jumped and pulled his gun, and Akiyama rested his hand on his holster. Looking at him closely, Mai could see the reason for their unease. Not only was he tall, towering over even Lin, but with his piercing black eyes hidden under a mop of dark brown hair, he was intimidating. The man bowed at Lin.

"Master Koujo calls?"

Lin hummed, and slapped him on the back.

"Yes, you'll do nicely, Xióng. Now, Captain, the door?"

.

.

Yaniata was detained, and his wife sat in the kitchen with Ayako, hysterical. Mai shook her head minutely; her daughters weren't dead yet, right? That had to count for something. Akiyama was examining the cupboard with Kyoto, and Mai found herself narrowing her gaze in irritation at the bumbling trainee. He was rude, disrespectful, and rushed ahead without thinking things through. He'd already been reprimanded by Akiyama thrice; first in base, and then twice in the kitchen for an insensitive comment towards Mrs Yaniata, and for flirting with Ayako.

Currently, they were trying to figure out how to get through the door without setting off the alarms. The door was rigged so that if it was tampered with, i.e. the door was broken down or smashed in, or even the chain was broken, the next door would lock permanently. It was genius, but it was a nasty piece of work, especially now, when Yaniata wouldn't give the location of the keys to the police, no matter how much they threatened. Lin was off to one side, in an intense discussion with his shiki, Xióng, and Madoka. Madoka seemed to be trying to convince Lin to do something, but Lin seemed to be against it, shooting worried glance towards the door.

Naru stood next to her, silent as always, merely observing the chaos. Mai watched Madoka say something, to which Lin sighed, and tossed his hands, before pulling a small case out of his jacket pocket. The police officers had moved away, and Akiyama looked to be scolding Kyoto once _again_ , for doing something stupid. Lin examined the lock closely, before opening the case and pulling out a thin wire, which he then inserted into the lock, moving it around slightly, ear close to the lock. Akiyama was watching him with interest, an odd look on his face.

"So, this was how you got your 'breaking and entering' charges."

Lin blinked, and frowned.

"Oh, you read about that, did you?" Akiyama shrugged.

"I was interested as to why half the senior officers hated you, and most of the retired ones as well. It was a…fascinating read."

"I'm sure." Lin muttered, eyes narrowed, before the lock fell open with a muted _'click'_. Lin gestured towards the now open door.

"Ta da!"

Mai moved forward into the small space, and eyed the keys hanging up on the wall, and the wires going from each of them, up into the wall.

"Silver key and a red label…" she murmured, trailing her fingers along the keys until she got to the one she wanted, removing it from the hook carefully. She unlocked the door, and was about to move forward, until someone grabbed her arm. She stopped, and turned to look at Lin.

"Let Xióng, myself and Akiyama go first."

"I care take care of myself." Mai hissed. Lin's eyes turned flinty, and she swallowed.

"I know you can, but for my sanity, wait a bit before coming down, if we give the all clear. We don't know what we'll find down there, Mai. Trust me."

Mai sighed, and nodded, stepping aside to let Xióng go first.

"Watch your head, it's a tight fit." She muttered. Lin nodded, and ducked as he went in. Naru followed them, squeezing her hand as he went past. Mai smiled at him thinly, and leaned against the wall. Ayako shoot her a sympathetic look, and Mai shrugged. She'd expected it, of course, but it didn't mean that she had to like it. Sliding down the wall to draw her knees up to her chest, she resigned herself to waiting.

.

.

It seemed an age before they all came out, bar Xióng. But, judging from the growls emitting from the basement, Mai figured that the Tengu was putting up a decent fight. Naru was helping Nollene get up the stairs, Akiyama carrying Shika, and Lin bringing up the rear with an arm around Akiko and talking to Moriko quietly, but urgently. Mrs Yaniata surged forward with a cry, smothering Moriko into a constricting hug, before reaching form Akiko and Shika. Ayako immediately went into 'Doctor Mode', pulling out a first aid kit and tending to the numerous cuts and bruises on Moriko and Nollene. Madoka shut her phone.

"Ambulance is on its way; Shika's not looking so good, she needs nutrients and medicine."

"Moriko has a fractured collarbone,' Ayako threw in helpfully, 'and I don't have the equipment to set it back in place properly, so that's good. Nollene's fine, just a little battered."

"It's the Davis genes,' Nollene muttered, 'to thick-skinned and stubborn to take any injury."

Oliver rolled his eyes, and hugged Nollene to him tightly, Nollene returning it equally. Mai resisted the urge to snap a picture on her phone, especially when Nollene sniffed, and buried her head in Oliver's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're safe." Naru murmured. Nollene choked on what could have possibly been a laugh, and sniffed again.

"I'm glad too."

Naru muttered something in English that was too soft for Mai to hear properly, and Nollene replied, pulling back a little and smiling slightly. Mai coughed to get Naru's attention, and he turned to her, eyebrow raised. Mai smiled hopefully.

"Case closed?"

Naru nodded, and jerked his head upstairs.

"Case closed. Start packing up base."

Mai started towards the door, but paused when Xióng walked out of the cupboard, rolling his shoulders. He had a cut on his forehead, and blood oozed out of a split lip, an impressive black eye forming. Nollene sighed, and moved towards him, hands glowing slightly.

"Did you have fun, Xióng?"

Xióng nodded enthusiastically, aggravating his head wound further. Nollene swiped a thumb over the lip, and her fingers trailed up his face, the blood and black eye vanishing.

"Many thanks." Xióng rumbled (' _Even his voice sounds bear-like_ ', Mai mused), and vanished.

Nollene rolled her eyes, and joined Mai over at the door.

"We should start packing, before Naru gets antsy."

Mai sniggered, and headed towards base, a small grin on her face.

.

.

 _CASE CLOSED._

.

.

.

.

.

 **Next time, SPR has some much needed down time, and what's this? Naru's turning 20? Monk's shedding some light on his journey to see his father?**

 **Find out in the next chapter!**

 **.**

 **Sorry, couldn't resist adding that in. I was almost tempted to do a 'Previously, on 'For There to Be Light…'", but I'm sure someone would have killed me.**

 **Read**

 **Review**

 **Etc.**

 **Feed the box.**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	10. The Importance of Being Oliver

**Sup. So….turns out that I am alive, miraculously, but I have been shoved in the face with assignment after assignment, and** ** _all_** **of my writing has been set back at least three months. On the bright side of life…actually, there's not much on that side, except that I'm 18, so I can legally buy alcohol. Fun.**

 **I'll shut up now.**

.

.

* * *

"So, Naru…how does it feel to be twenty?"

Monk grinned at Naru, amusement colouring his tone. The small alcove that they were all huddled in was tucked away from most of the racket that echoed around the bar, and it enabled conversation to be spoken in only-slightly-elevated decibel levels. Naru, currently examining the contents of his shot glass (no drink should be able to be _that_ colour green; it looked like vomit), snapped his head up, looking startled.

"Huh?"

John, sitting next to him, sniggered into his lemonade, and Naru shot him a filthy glare. Monk's grin turned into a smirk, and he repeated his question, the amusement much more prominent in his tone. Naru shrugged.

"The same as being nineteen, I guess, but I'm not _technically_ twenty yet. Although, this is better than my eighteenth was, at any rate."

"Oh?' Yasu leaned forward, John moving his drink out of the way before he knocked it over, "And what was wrong with your eighteenth?"

Naru flicked his eyes down, examining his drink once more.

"Gene's…funeral was in three days, and it hit me that…well…I wouldn't be able to celebrate our birthday with him. I…uh…actually spent most of it holed up in the library with a bottle of vodka."

"What he fails to mention,' Lin interrupted, sliding into the booth with ease, balancing two drinks along his arm, 'was that this was after Nollene had left for a friends place, and Martin and Luella had an emergency meeting at Cambridge. Mei had gone out with friends, and everyone's nerves were shot to hell and back."

"Lin…" Naru groaned, "Don't. _Please_."

"And it wasn't one bottle of vodka, it was three, and he'd already finished one and a half by the time I found him. He was crying to."

" _Lin_." Naru's head thumped onto the table. "Let me retain _some_ form of dignity."

"So, what did you do? After you found him?" Yasu smirked, itching to get some blackmail. Lin looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"I did what any friend would have done. I helped him finish the vodka off, and then talked really loudly the next morning."

The table burst out laughing, and Naru sunk into his seat even further, head in his hands as a light blush dusted his cheeks. Lin placed a bottle of some form of beer in front of Naru, who eyed it apprehensively.

"Please tell me that I'm not going to die of alcohol poisoning if I drink this."

Lin rolled his eyes, and grabbed Naru's abandoned drink, taking a sip before examining it.

"Why on earth did you get a _Wicked Envy_? You hate gin, and citrus."

Naru looked pointedly at Yasu, who smirked, and Lin rolled his eyes.

"Typical. You shouldn't drink what Yasu gives you anyway. The stuff he drinks puts Ruka to shame in terms of alcohol content."

"How did your trip go, Monk? You didn't say much about." Naru swiftly changed the subject, tactfully ignoring the indignant noise that came from Yasu. Monk examined his beer, and bit his lip; a nervous trait he hadn't quite gotten rid of yet.

.

"I…I apologized to my father and grandfather for a mistake I made eight years ago, and for leaving the temple without telling them or asking for their blessing. Then, I got my ears boxed by my mother for making her worry."

Yasu sniggered, and muttered " _Momma's boy"_ before John kicked him in the shin, giving Yasu a confused look when he hissed at him. Lin raised an eyebrow at the pair, and shook his head in amusement.

"Your mother sounds like mine." Naru muttered, and Lin nodded in agreement, shuddering slightly. Monk leaned forward slightly.

"Oh, how so?"

"Luella was most displeased when I left for Japan the first time. The only reason I got off lightly was because Lin had come with me, and he knew his way around Japan. My Japanese was pretty bad; I had the most atrocious accent."

"So that's why you told me not to speak in a Kansai dialect; it had happened to you!" John exclaimed, an imaginary lightbulb clicking on above his head. Lin sniggered, and Naru glared at the Chinese man.

"Well, I'm sorry for being an 'ignorant American', Mr I–lived-in-Japan-for-years-and-didn't-mention-it-to-me."

"Ah, but Noll,' Lin smirked, 'It was so much fun watching you trip over your feet for the first week. After that, it was just pitiful."

Naru's head thumped onto the table, a slight blush visible on his cheeks.

"Shut up, Lin."

Monk grinned at the antics, and exchanged a glance with Yasu, who smirked devilishly.

"Even Mai picked up on it, Naru. When you first met, you apparently answered her question wrong. She asked what year you were, and you replied that you were seventeen that year. That, and you said 'Shibuya Psychic research' in English, not Japanese."

"She told me that when you two first met, she knew something was off, because your smile didn't reach your eyes." Monk added, watching with glee as the normally unflappable Naru hunched his shoulders and hid his face, a blush now creeping up the side of his neck.

"Shut. Up."

"And,' John joined in, eyes glinting,' let's not forget the case we took at my church. I was standing right next to you after we'd finished. You recited the scripture in English under your breath. I almost didn't catch it, until you said 'Amen'. British accents are very easy to pick up."

Naru buried his head in his arms, and placed his hands over his ears, muttering something under his breath. Lin looked at them and winked…before he jabbed Naru in the ribs with his fingers. Naru let out a high-pitched yelp that had the rest of them laughing, John catching Yasu's drink before he knocked it over. Naru's face burned red, before it slowly started to recede.

"Yes, yes, go on and laugh. It's not like any of you have made _any_ mistakes travelling to a foreign country."

.

John stopped laughing, and grinned brightly at the rest of them.

"You mean apart from speaking with a Kansai dialect? I insulted someone when I meant to apologize. Thankfully, they recognized that I wasn't a native Japanese speaker, and forgave me easily…if not with a long lecture about proper manners and how foreigners should behave when speaking to their betters."

Laughter broke out again, and Monk noticed a small smile lingering in Lin's lips. Lin noticed him staring, and it disappeared quickly, but not before Monk saw the flash of pain that flickered across his eyes, before it was tucked away behind the normal shuttered look.

"I didn't even speak Japanese." Lin contributed, eyes swinging towards him. "The first words I learnt were insults. And yes, they were intentional." Yasu sniggered.

"You should have heard Mai when she started to learn English at school. Her pronunciation was _awful_."

Naru's lips quirked, meeting Yasu's gaze.

"Believe me, I am well aware on how awful her pronunciation is."

Naru checked his watch suddenly, swearing under his breath, before he relaxed slightly, and grabbed his untouched drink, eyeing his watch intently. Monk looked on, confused, and when Naru's watch alarm went off, Naru raised his bottle.

"Happy birthday, Gene." He whispered, and John raised his, and clinked it against Naru's.

"Happy birthday, Gene." He echoed, and Naru shot him a grateful smile. Monk jumped when another alarm went off a minute later, and blinked when Lin raised his bottle of dubious liquid, and gestured in Naru's direction.

"Happy Birthday, Noll."

It was echoed by the rest of them, and Monk narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the wet glint in Naru's eyes, before Naru took a sip of his drink and started coughing, muttering foul things about Lin under his breath in English. John flushed slightly, and Yasu immediately took it upon himself to mercilessly tease John about 'having such delicate hearing', while Lin smirked in his corner, his fringe casting the rest of his face in shadow and giving him a slightly demonic look.

.

And if Monk noticed that Naru used the coughing fit to swipe at his eyes discreetly, he would just pass it off as an alcohol-induced hallucination.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Yasu woke the next morning with the thought that either the neighbours were being particularly loud, or that a colony of dwarves had decided to take up residence in his head and start mining his brain matter. The second though was that his mouth and throat felt like the Sahara Desert, or he'd been eating gravel again (okay, he'd done it once as a kid, and his throat had been so cut up he'd had to go to hospital, but he certainly didn't do it on a regular basis).

Everything was vague and he had blurry recollections of a few things after toasting Naru's birthday. There was an unclear memory about how many drinks he'd had, which was never a good sign, but he did remember John dragging him up the stairs with more strength than he'd thought was possible for the small Australian. He also remembered trying to sing, before Monk had wrapped him in a headlock, and giving some crude suggestions to Naru that involved Mai that resulted in his throat seizing up suddenly, and Naru's midnight blue orbs blazing gold for a few seconds.

But there was one thing that stayed true throughout the entire evening.

A grey eye watching them all with an amused glint, and demonic smirk that twisted the taciturn lips, and an angular face that was cast in half-shadows the entire night. All of these things manifested into one person who had seen Yasu make a fool out of himself numerous times during the evening, yet had not once cracked a smile.

Koujo Lin, the Silent Giant.

.

Yasu was unsure whether his time in the rings (and gods, he still had nightmares about some of the things Lin went through; the nasty ones that left you paralyzed and in a cold sweat, unable to wake up) had permanently damaged his sense of humour, or whether Lin had a really embarrassing smile that he refused to use, but surely the Chinese assistant had a smile deep, deep down, right? Or were his jokes just not funny anymore?

.

Yasu groaned suddenly as a shaft of sunlight pierced through a hole in his curtains, and landed squarely on his face, another shaft reflecting off his glasses on the bedside table to shine in his eyes. The groan was echoed by something attempting to knock his door down with a sledge hammer, and Yasu dragged his covers over his head attempting to drown out both the noise and the sunlight.

"Yasu! If you don't come out right now, you don't get breakfast!"

It was then that the delicious aroma of bacon, eggs and something buttery (Yasu hoped to whatever deities that were out there that John had fried the leftover potatoes, because whatever he did to them was _divine_ ) drifted under the small crack in the door, and his mouth watered, because despite having a raging headache, sore eyes and a hangover that rivalled all hangovers, he was still a growing boy.

He tumbled out of bed, cursing when his toe hit something hard and wooden, and fumbled for his glasses, poking himself in the eye before he managed to jam them onto his nose. His room came into focus, and he winced. There were clothes strewn everywhere, and his normally OCD-clean desk was covered in a haphazard, towering stack of papers that looked as if it would topple at any given moment. He looked at the door, and then the mess his room was in, before coming to a decision.

"Shower first."

.

.

He moaned around a mouthful of cheesy buttery potato, offset by the tang of bacon, and closed his eyes in bliss. A shower had done wonders, but he swore to heaven and back that John's food could create miracles. There was a huff from John, who was buttering his third slice of toast with a look of pleased satisfaction.

"Surely my food isn't that good."

"John!" Yasu cried, remembering to swallow his food before he choked on it "Your food is divine! Even…some famous chef who's always on TV couldn't be this good."

John raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and Yasu shuddered as a horrid thought came over him.

"You know, none of us used to raise our eyebrows before we met Naru, and now we do it all the time! Maybe…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "Naru is taking over our bodies slowly but surely. Next thing you know, we'll all have black hair and blue eyes, and were black all the time and…"

"Yasu." John interrupted, holding his hands up in the universal 'calm down' gesture. "You're babbling."

Yasu rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. Nervous habit. But it could be true! Then he'd have an army of Naru-clones to take over the world. Even _Mai_ has started to raise her eyebrow constantly."

John flushed, and ducked his head.

"Yeah, about Mai…" Yasu flinched, and leaned back in his chair.

"I said something stupid last night, didn't I?"

John nodded, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Thankfully, Naru shut you up before you could do any damage, but I never want to see him that angry again." John shuddered. "The temperature dropped about 6 degrees, and his bottle iced over."

Yasu slumped in his seat, glad that he had finished eating breakfast before John had broached this topic; his appetite had fled as quickly as his common sense had last night. He nodded, and the two flatmates stood in unison, clearing the table efficiently with the ease of continuous practise.

"Do we have a case? Need to be in for anything today?" Yasu broke the silence while they were doing dishes. John shook his head.

"Nothing yet. Besides, you know that Lin will most likely text us if there is anything."

"I can't believe he has my number." Yasu winced. "Especially since he didn't ask for it. I had a whole list of pick-up lines I was going to use on him."

John gave him his 'you-are-so-weird-but-you're-my-flatmate-so-I-put-up-with-you' look.

"Knowing him, he'd probably stare you into silence, and make you feel unbearably stupid and foolish."

Yasu scowled.

"He does that anyway."

John gave Yasu a rather soapy pat on the back in sympathy…before he stole the towel that Yasu was holding and whipping Yasu on the legs.

"Lighten up, mate. He does that to everyone."

Yasu carefully placed the plate he was holding on the rack to dry, before he grabbed the towel hanging on the oven and whipped John in return, catching him square on the thighs. John yelped, and held up his towel.

"Surrender!" Yasu pouted.

"You're no fun." John smirked at him.

"I just don't want to break anything exacting my revenge upon your pitiful being."

"You know what this means, then, don't you?" Yasu mock-whispered. John narrowed his eyes.

"Death. By. Zombies."

.

"Oh, come _on_!" The groan came from John, as a wave of zombies poured out of an 'abandoned' building, and a teammate shot one of them. Yasu cursed, and reloaded his gun.

"This is why I hate it when we get newbies on our team. They always screw everything up."

John hummed in agreement, eyes fixed on the screen, thumbs blurring over the keys as he tried to prevent a teammate from dying. Yasu glanced at John's predicament, before shaking his head, and cackling madly when he found a grenade. John hissed in annoyance, and a notification that their teammate had died flashed on the screen.

"Crap." John muttered, and turned to Yasu as the second teammate died. "Run?"

"Run." Yasu agreed. On the screen, two characters sprinted away from the horde of zombies, only to come to a dead end; a lake with no boat. Yasu groaned, and dropped his controller on the couch next to him, even as the screen flashed a red 'GAME OVER' across the gory scene. John slumped on the couch, sighing, as his own controller landed next to Yasu's.

"Stupid newbies." Yasu muttered, John making a non-committal noise, but not articulating anything further. Yasu frowned, and glanced at John out of the corner of his eye. The Catholic Priest was fiddling with his phone; locking it and then unlocking it over and over again, preoccupied with the simple, repetitive action. His eyes narrowed.

"Something on your mind?" Yasu made sure that his voice was open, inviting even, and John looked up at him, opening his mouth to say something, and then closing it as he thought of something.

"I'm fine." He finally answered, and Yasu snorted in disbelief.

"Your lock-screen isn't that exciting." He pointed out, and John rolled his eyes, before staring that the lock screen.

"Actually,' John began, 'maybe you could help me with this...puzzle that's been bothering me for a while."

Yasu sat up straighter, gaze fixed on his flatmate, who stared doggedly at his cellphone.

"Enlighten me."

"So,' John launched into his situation, ' in a totally hypothetical situation, what would you do if a guy wanted to call his brother who lives on the other side of the world, but he can't do so because his father, whom he is avoiding after an argument, monitors all the phone calls, emails and even mail. The brother can't sneak off on his own, and all secret codes were taught to them by their father, so those are out. The father has a way of tracing calls to their point of origin, and the guy wanted to make sure that this didn't happen, because he has no desire to go back into an organization that branded him like cattle."

.

Yasu blinked, dumbfounded and speechless for quite possibly the first time in his life. John sunk onto the couch, finding the coffee table particularly interesting, despite the fact that it was falling apart, and avoided his gaze like a seasoned professional.

"Are disposable phones use…never mind? Payphones are out of the question, and mail takes too long anyway. What to do…" Yasu pondered this question, thinking of it as something he would help a friend do (because that was precisely what he was doing), instead of an isolated problem.

' _Payphones are out because they can be traced, as well as cellphones and mail. What to do, what to do…a friend's problem, not an isolated problem…problem…numbers…phone…my flatmate…my…mine. Bingo.'_

"You could use my phone to call him." Yasu blurted out before he had thought it through properly. "I mean, your father wouldn't recognise the number, and it can always be deleted straight afterwards anyway. And even if you father saw it, we could make up a story about a pen friend with the wrong number."

Yasu looked at his flatmate, who was staring at him with a mixture of shock (he had spoken rather loudly), admiration (who wouldn't look at him in admiration?) and what looked like budding hope.

"Really?" John's voice was soft, and for a moment, Yasu didn't have any trouble imagining him as a small kid; all blue eyed innocence hidden behind light blonde hair, staring unassumingly up at someone. Yasu grinned brightly, and pulled out his phone, handing it to the slightly unresponsive John.

"Yep. Call him now! It should be about…6:30pm over there, so you should be fine!"

John gave him a wobbly smile, and unlocked Yasu's phone, before punching in a series of numbers that seemed almost automatic to him. Yasu scooted closer to John, and pressed the speaker button. John swallowed nervously as the phone rang, and rang, and rang…it was picked up just before John was about to hang up, and a smooth tenor, similar to John's answered.

.

" _Mark Brown, demon hunting and car repairs. I'm currently unable to answer the phone right now, but please leave your message, name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Cheers!"_

.

John choked, and Yasu noticed the tell-tale glint of tears, even as John wrapped his arms around himself, biting his knuckles. Yasu rolled his eyes, and cleared his throat.

"Hello,' he began, enunciating the English words carefully,' my name is Yasuhara Omasu; I am a friend of John Brown's? Please delete this number after the message is complete."

Yasu nudged John, as his indication that it was his turn to start speaking.

.

"Hi, Mark, it's me. I'm…alive, and fine. Yes, I'm eating, so don't worry about me starving. I'm…helping at the orphanage in a church in Japan, and investigating the paranormal as a side job, with an offshoot of the BSPR. Um…I'm glad that you're all fine, and tell Matt congrats on his girlfriend…" John trailed off, and sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"It's great that Aunt Miriam is having a kid, after all her heart surgery. I think that it's going to be a boy, and they should call it Timothy, because going through school with a name like Titus will be hard. I hope Luke and Esther got back from their hunt okay, and…that they take you along with them next time, so you're not stuck with Peter all the time. Maybe…maybe if I come back, we could go surfing? It's been a while; I'm sure to fall off lots of times. Um…"

John looked at Yasu for guidance, and Yasu mouthed 'cases', giving John a look that suggested that he tell his brother what he'd been up to for the past three or four years.

"So, um...my flatmate Yasu seems to think I should tell you about the cases we've been on, so…the first one I actually met the guy in charge, who went by Kazuya Shibuya, but we found out that he was actually Oliver Davis a few cases on…"

Yasu sat on the couch as John recounted their cases, amazed at the amount of detail that John could remember, even from the case at his high school, and how John had recognized that the teacher was a threat from the start because her eyes were off or something like that. There were colloquialisms that went right over Yasu's head, and a fair few words that Yasu didn't even know _existed_ in English, but he didn't bother to ask John about them. His flatmate had tears streaming down his face that he clearly didn't notice, and his voice was getting a little hoarse, but he ploughed on, seemingly desperate to impart this knowledge onto his favourite brother.

"…that's all I've done so far, what about you?" John's laugh was slightly forced and a bit wet, but he either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I miss you all,' John choked on tears, and his voice cracked, 'and I love you too. Stay safe. Bye."

.

He pressed the end button, and drew his knees up, burying his head in his arms, crying silently. Yasu blinked, and hovered unsurely, not used to seeing this level of emotion from one of his _guy_ friends. He settled for awkwardly patting John on the back, which moved into the soothing circles he did for Mai whenever she'd have a nightmare or a scare at school with a malicious spirit.

"Sorry." Came the muffled apology from John. "I didn't mean to lose it so much."

Yasu shrugged.

"What are flatmates for? But that's not the point. The point is, do you feel better?"

.

John looked up at him, eyes bloodshot and cheeks red, but his smile was brighter than Yasu had ever seen it before.

"Much better. Thank you."

.

* * *

.

 **TA DA! Sorry it took me so long, but you know the drill.**

 **Read – You've done that**

 **Review- Please**

 **Fav – Optional**

 **Follow- Optional**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	11. Before Night Falls

**Sooooo, guess who's back with a brand new chap! (If you got this reference, you are awesome). Mock exams are over, and I have extra days of holidays, so I will try to finish this story, because my other ones are piling up faster that I can post them.**

 **Drop me a PM if you want to see a story; I work better with requests if I'm stuck.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

.

.

Monk sat in a small booth, his arm around Ayako. She was staring at her glass of red wine, slightly morose after another failed meeting with her parents, and was possibly contemplating the meaning of life within the depths of her wine. He'd picked up Ayako three blocks away from her family hospital, after she'd walked out in frustration and anger at their attempts to ' _rein her in and stop this rebellious nonsense_ ', and had showed up to the pub two hours early, mostly to wait for Ayako to calm down. His drink was sitting in front of him, collecting condensation, and a solitary drop slid down the side, making a bid for freedom, before it soaked into the beaten and battered wood of the table.

They were waiting on the arrival of the other 'old' members of SPR, for an impromptu meeting ' _for the sake of having a goddamn drink with people'_ , according to Madoka, who'd been tetchy all week and flinching at loud noises, although Naru and Lin had assured them that it was normal for Madoka to have off days like this around June, for some weird reason that neither could explain. Naru he could understand; he'd shrugged and just said that she'd always been like this since he'd met her. Lin had looked at him blankly, explaining that nature-based spirits always got like this before summer. Monk remembered brushing it off as a prank, yet…there were some things about Madoka that didn't quite add up.

As if his thoughts had summoned them, Madoka and a tall, dark-haired man that was definitely _not_ Lin wove their way through the crowd in the pub, Madoka leading the man by the hand, giving the Cheshire Cat a run for his money and wearing _bumblebee tights_ , while the man looked slightly uncomfortable in black jeans and a _Para-natural_ shirt. Ayako blinked, and sat up straighter, narrowing her eyes at the man, before they widened in recognition and, Monk noted with a slight twinge of jealousy (he squashed it without mercy), the faintest bit of hero-worship.

"It's Dr. Li. He owns a small hospital near the red-light district, called Misfits."

Monk raised an eyebrow at her impressed tone, and wondered idly that if he'd managed to get through both high-school (he'd dropped out when he was seventeen, in order to pursue music) and med-school, if Ayako would have even looked at him twice with the same amount of hero-worship that she obviously held for this Doctor Li.

"Loaded, or…"

"Hard-working. He bought a run-down building, and transformed it into an emergency clinic for the poorer districts, specializing in paranormal and supernatural injuries. We took Mai there a few times, and it's where John and Masako went after their accident two cases ago, with Maya."

Monk nodded, and returned Madoka's cheery greeting, the man's soft-spoken " _hello"_ almost drowned out by the noise of the pub. Monk stood to shake his hand, noticing the faint sheen of sweat on his brow, and the stress lines at the corner of his mouth. His hand was slightly clammy, and Monk thought that he was sick for a moment, while the man froze momentarily upon taking it. Monk frowned when the man didn't let go and the hand pressure increased as if he was clinging to Monk like a life-line.

"Um…"

"Your uncle was a fool, and the blame lies with him, not with you."

Monk blinked, stunned, and the man flushed, releasing his hand as if it scalded him, and gave Monk an embarrassed grin.

"My apologies, my gift often reaches out like that. Tajo Li, although Tajo will do just fine."

"Houshou Takigawa, call me Monk."

They both sat down, Madoka beaming at Ayako, who gave her a half-hearted smile in return, mood momentarily lightening at the sight of her slightly crazy friend. An awkward silence fell after Ayako and Madoka got their " _are you alright", "how have you been"_ talk out of the way.

"So, Tajo,' Monk began, wishing to end the uncomfortable situation, 'if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your gift?"

Tajo shrugged, a light flush adorning his cheeks as Madoka whispered something in his ear. Monk thought that he was either easily embarrassed, naturally shy, or lacked people skills, but Tajo seemed alright. The noise of the pub seemed to be getting to him, as he reached up and rubbed his temples.

"I have a large amount of PK-LT. Occasionally, I will be able to…read someone, or more accurately, their pain, be it physical, mental or emotional, no matter how old." Tajo gave a shy grin. "Very handy in a hospital, as Dr. Matsuzaki can attest to. But, in social situations like this…" he paused to take a sip of his water, 'it can be irritating. The information overload can sometimes overwhelm my shields. I don't get out much because of this."

Monk turned to Ayako, who lifted her shoulders.

"My parents have been trying to get him to work for us for years. He declines, politely, every time they ask, no matter how high they make his salary. It's something of a sore point with them; they're in the habit of comparing myself to him."

"Your parents are very constricting, with little tolerance of things that they don't understand, such as my desire to work with the less fortunate." Tajo replied, not unkindly, but merely stating facts. Ayako snorted.

"Tell me about it." She muttered, taking a sip of her wine. "Though, it would be funny if they find out how you actually diagnose your patients. It would probably give my mother a heart attack." Tajo narrowed his eyes, seeing something that Monk couldn't see. He decided to intervene, before Ayako got upset again. But Tajo beat him to it.

"Your parents are idiots. If they can't appreciate you for who you are, then they don't deserve you."

Ayako choked for a moment, before nodding, giving Tajo a sideways glance. Monk blinked. He hadn't seen _that_ coming. But still, the opportunity to learn about the different aspects of Psychokinesis was too good to pass up.

"So, when you said read someone…" he began. Tajo gave him a wry look.

"It's a weird concept, really, but it's not as if there's a guidebook for this sort of stuff. Everyone is different; Mai is a good example of this. Hers is primarily PK-MT, yet her gift borderlines on LT as well. From what Madoka told me of the last case, she used the hand-tingly thing, and…"

"The what?" Ayako interrupted, face blank. Tajo shrugged, self-depreciating.

"I honestly don't have another name for it. It's what I did with Takigawa-san."

"Monk." Monk corrected. "Takigawa-san is my father."

"Right. So, it's basically when we have skin-to-skin contact. Most of the time, we can't stop it, but it's a matter of control. We can see images, or sense feelings of that person, but it stings a little, like pins and needles, hence the name. It doesn't fall into the category of psychometry, purely because it isn't an object, and we don't fall into the typical coma-like state. Anyway, back to the original question. When I read someone, it really depends on the context. For a patient, I would normally initiate contact to read them, often on the forehead, because of the nervous system. For anyone else, I can either use their aura, or merely focus on them, and take a few guesses."

"Can we get an example?" Ayako leaned forward, fascination rampant upon her face. Tajo gazed around the pub, and paused.

"You see the man wearing a dark red shirt at the bar, near the end? He just lost his job for the third time, his wife left with his only daughter, and he is estranged from his family. The man sitting next to him broke up with a long-time girlfriend because she was cheating on him with his best friend."

Monk blinked in shock, his eyebrows trying to merge with his hair.

"I'm impressed." Tajo stared at him.

"That's a first. Normally people cry " _bullshit"_ or " _fuck off"_ and mutter about exaggerators being the scum of the earth."

Monk couldn't help himself; he laughed, Ayako and Madoka giving him strange looks.

"Oh man, that's _exactly_ what I get when I say I'm a Buddhist Monk who plays bass in a successful underground band." He chortled. "It's because of the hair and the earrings, I just know it."

Tajo smiled at him; a true, genuine smile, and his shoulders noticeably relaxed.

"When I tell them that I'm a doctor, it's even worse. ' _But you're too young! You must be a student still!'_ " Tajo pitched his voice higher into a falsetto, and Monk wasn't the only one who laughed that time. Madoka checked her watch, and her brow furrowed.

"It's not like Koujo to be late."

Tajo looked at her, eyebrow raised, a smile still lingering on his pale features.

"It is if he's brining Ruka."

Monk blinked, remembering the bubbly ginger that had appeared at a case with Lin's ward, Ren, and had lectured Maya in a most spectacular fashion that had left even Ayako chagrined. Madoka nodded in understanding, a wry smile on her face.

"For a lawyer, she sure has no concept of punctuality." Tajo smirked in response, morphing his face into that of a prankster that had Monk checking his drink discreetly, and rolled his eyes.

"I do seem to recall a time when you were…they're here." His head snapped in that direction, and Monk frowned.

"You can tell when Lin is near you?"

Tajo shrugged, examining his bottle of water, a bit discomfited.

"I lived with Lin since we were eleven, so I know him pretty well. That, and he was dating my twin sister seriously, so…oh, and his aura's bright. Like, blindingly bright. It's a bit hard to look at, to be honest, but you'll never lose him, that's for sure. Most PK-LT users can see aura's, to help with the influence over the living beings. Lin's is like…staring into the sun on a summer's day, for about six hours, compared to, say, Matsuzaki's, which is like a forest; green and soothing."

Ayako raised an eyebrow at the comment, and leaned forward.

"Is it because I use tree spirits for exorcisms, instead of my own power?"

Tajo licked his lips, then nodded.

"It's entirely possible. Like I said, there isn't a guidebook for this stuff. Monk's is a mix between orange and red; most Buddhist exorcists are usually warm colours, and Madoka's is…pale, like a mix between grey and silver. Ruka's is black, like her non-existent soul."

Madoka coughed ' _soulless ginger'_ , and Ruka made a rude gesture towards the two, gaze dark, as she slammed her drink down on the table.

"Why Tajo! If I'd known that you find me hard to look at, I would have made it a point to stop by in the morning every day."

Lin gave Tajo a saccharine smile as his arm slung around Tajo's in a friendly half-hug that had Monk doubting his eyesight for a moment, and Tajo glared at him.

"Is there any way you could, you know, flip a switch and turn it off? It's very distracting."

"So you're saying that I'm distracting to look at now?" Lin leaned in, an intense look on his face. A hand trailed down Tajo's shoulder suggestively, and Tajo flushed, ducking his head, and shifting away from Lin's face, which was coming closer, fluttering his eyelashes.

"That's not what I meant." He snapped, falling halfway out of his seat. Madoka crossed her arms petulantly, and stuck her nose up in the air, snubbing them both.

"Tajo, I'm upset now. You find Koujo more distracting than me?"

Monk and Ayako watched with a mixture of amusement and disbelief at the teasing that was taking place before their very eyes, and the fact that _Lin_ was the instigator, and was _flirting_ with Tajo. Monk didn't pick him to be one that played for the other team, but to each their own, he supposed.

"I…um…he…" Tajo stuttered, looking between Madoka and Lin, before turning to Ruka, beseeching her for assistance.

"Help?"

Ruka sighed in exasperation, although her eyes were dancing with a mixture of mischief and amusement at Tajo's situation.

"Koujo, behave. Madoka, don't tease the poor boy. Honestly, the three of you are like children when we get together."

Madoka stuck her tongue out, and Tajo slumped into his seat, relieved. Lin huffed, but took a sip of some weird concoction that looked toxic, wincing at the taste.

"Last time I try anything you suggest, Ruka. This is foul."

Ruka shrugged, and snatched it, swapping the drink with hers, before takin a sip and sighing.

"You just can't feel the burn, that's your problem."

"Yeah, and getting you home after you've been drinking is also a problem." Lin muttered, causing Ayako to snort into her wine, and Monk to hide his smile behind his hand. Ruka ignored him in favour of flicking Lin's fringe, to which Lin hissed at her, making sure that it lay flat again, before turning to Monk, an expression of long-endured suffering etched upon his face.

"This is what I have to put up with." He deadpanned, causing Monk to snort.

"You love us!" Ruka declared, draping an arm around Lin's shoulders. Lin gave her a flat look.

"How much have you drunk already?"

Ruka pouted, and crossed her arms, and Monk sniggered under his breath at the childish action. It was so odd to see Lin's personality in a non-working environment; he was lively, almost bouncy, and had a wicked sense of humour to go with his equally sharp wit. Paired together with either Madoka, Ruka or even Tajo (when he wasn't ribbing him), they continued to shoot plastic daggered words at each other, including some very creative insults that bordered on the obscene. Ayako leaned into him, and smiled.

"It's weird to see them out of a work environment."

"Tell me about it." Monk murmured, watching as Lin moved Ruka's drink around to rest next to Madoka, before leaning back and watching the chaos that ensued, exchanging sly grins with Tajo. "But it's nice to know that both Lin and Madoka are just the same as everyone else. Well,' he paused, seeing Madoka pull a sleight-of-hand, and swap Lin's drink with Ruka's, while Lin stabbed a pen into the table next to Tajo's hand as he tried to slip something into Madoka's drink. "…Mostly normal." He amended.

Ayako smiled up at him as they continued to watch one of the most composed members of SPR goof around like a teenager, and grin unashamedly at the mischief he was causing. Yes, it was well worth coming to the pub tonight.

.

.

* * *

.

.

In her cell, Cho paced. Her cell was 5 paces by 6 paces, and the padded walls and floor muffled her otherwise angry and worried footsteps. Her wrist ached and throbbed, the purple colour starting to spread up her forearm, while a cut on her forehead itched, but she dare not scratch it, least it get infected. In the cell next to her, Rose sat huddled in the corner, blonde hair almost brown with dirt and grease, and her ankle bound with bandages, uniform replaced by medical scrubs of some sort. They hadn't been touched yet; the last one who tried to force himself on Cho had regretted his mistake very quickly, but it was only a matter of time.

.

Time that they were rapidly running out of.

.

.

* * *

.

In a high tree overlooking a once-abandoned facility, Professor Ying, known as Hawk, perched, her yellow eyes scanning the grounds. She was diligent in noting all angles of escape, the guardhouses, the electric fence that was on (the power box was sparking) and the movement of various people in and out and around. Her pencil scribbled on the map, and noted which areas were occupied.

.

Lives depended on this.

.

.

* * *

.

In the mountain forests, Fox packed her bags, her car already running. A wolf spirit and her shiki had shrunk to fit into her satchel, and she double checked her knives, before loading a gun, and slipping it into a holster on her back. Looking back on the small cottage that had been her home for many years, she lit the match, the smell of petrol permeating her nose and attempting to pierce into her brain, and threw it inside, before shutting the door and jumping into her car, peeling away from the fire.

The explosion that followed was put down as a gas leak that had built up for years, before the wiring in the old house had short-circuited and sparked a flame. It had looked recently lived in, but that was put down as squatters or tramps taking shelter. Fox, meanwhile, was driving towards one of her old haunts, a wolf sitting on her passenger seat and hanging his head out the window, and a glass bangle of smoky red encircling her arm.

.

Playtime was over.

.

.

* * *

.

On the other side of the world, a man was buying an airline ticket to Japan at the airport, using cash in order to avoid being tracked. His hair was all one colour courtesy of hair-chalk; he'd wash it out on the plane, and he had brown contacts in that hide his normally white-blue eyes. His clothes were non-descript, and he blended in with the masses well. Anyone looking for him would have had to help him with his disguise. His pocket held an address on a scrap bit of paper, slipped to him during a hunt last week, and written in a code only known to him and his brothers. His phone had been left at home, and he had a card under a different name that he would be able to use.

He had been taught too well.

One bag held clothes and a few vials of holy water (it drew raised eyebrows at security, but they were used to stranger things, while a backpack held various weapons (his permit was examined thoroughly, but passed inspection) and a Japanese phrasebook.

.

The deception commenced.

.

.

* * *

.

A young man stood on the top of a hospital, looking out over the city, and his eyes raked the skyline intently. His hair was tossed by a light breeze, mussing it into a birds-nest, and his dark clothes soaked up the meagre heat that the sun offered. Closing his eyes, he came to a decision.

.

It was time.

.

.

* * *

.

.

 **Hey! REVIEW THE STORY PLEASE! TELL ME THAT YOU ARE READING IT! Also, tell me what you want to see next, or any case suggestions. Ta!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	12. All The English Men

**Hey, I'm back. Drop a review, please. Thanks to DC Joker, comwiz, serial lurker and Falcner. Cheers, guys. Anyway, I'll shut up and let you read.**

 **.**

* * *

.

"You know,' Mai began, her torch highlighting the aging timber and the deserted classrooms, 'I'm getting a strange sense of déjà vu. Anyone else?"

Beside her, Naru snorted, peering through the filthy glass on a door, and squinting in the bad light. His torch did little to pierce the gloom through the grime, and he gave it up as a lost cause.

"Impossible. Lin hasn't had a shelf fall on him yet, and he hasn't sprained his leg."

"There's still time." Mai commented, shooting a sly grin at Naru, who raised his eyebrow, amusement rife in his gaze. Both remembered _very_ clearly how Mai started to work for SPR; it was one of Mai's better memories, but it was also great to poke at Lin, who may or may not be still holding a slight grudge towards Mai for that particular incident. He hadn't trusted her around the shelves since.

"Lin is right behind you, children. Get moving."

"Killjoy." Mai muttered, earning a light swat to the back of her head from Lin, who paused to examine the map of the building on his phone. It was just the three of them on this case; it was relatively small, and there was no need for the full team. They hadn't had time to set up base, but Naru had wanted to see if they could determine the cause, based on the information that they were given. Currently, it was only one block that was a problem, but they didn't want to take any chances, least the activity spread to other areas.

.

It had been an exhausting month, for all of them. There were no cases, until last Friday, when three 'urgent' ones had come through. Naru, in a rare moment of indecision, had made a suggestion about splitting up into teams, and it all went from there. Monk, Ayako and Nollene had gone to a small house at the base of the mountains that was having violent activity, while John, Masako and Madoka had headed down south, towards an orphanage that had reports of missing children that vanished during the early morning and dusk.

Mai got stuck with Naru and Lin investigating a small school that had rooms set for demolition to make way for a new gym. Unfortunately, the renovations were stopped, as workers were attacked every time they tried to knock down the Music Block. Machinery would fail, electronics would short out, and there had been eyewitness reports of a ghost haunting the building, and the sound of sobbing coming from locked rooms. The only troublesome issue that arose with this situation was that there was no information on what the spirit was doing there. It was a completely clean record.

.

And that was what irritated Mai the most. Surely there had to be a story to give _some_ indication on why this was happening. Even rumours and gossip would have been welcomed, but _no_ , the Principal had been notoriously tight-lipped about the whole thing. It had even vexed Naru (although he didn't say so out loud afterwards, like Nollene and herself had a habit of doing. Instead, he'd taken a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose) to a point that his lips had pursed, and he was seriously considering not taking the case.

.

"Hang a left, and then continue down the hallway till the end. The room in question should be labelled M3." Lin's directions cut through the pensive silence that had befallen the trio, and jerked Mai out of her thoughts, in time for her to focus on the location.

"The Music Block?" Mai blinked. "Seems an odd place for a spirit to be. Or poltergeist."

"Maybe they were murdered in there." Naru proposed, eyes narrowed in thought. "School shooting, or maybe a suicide."

"They could have been strangled with piano wire, or garrotted with nylon guitar strings, by a jealous lover."

Naru and Mai both stopped, and turned around to stare a Lin, with incredulous, and horrified, looks respectively. Lin stared back at them, confusion etched upon his face.

"What?"

"Piano wire?" Naru queried in disbelief.

"Nylon guitar strings?" Mai echoed, eyes so wide that it gave her an almost comical appearance. Lin gave them a wicked smile.

"Perhaps they died in a rendition of _Sweeney Todd_ , because the actor playing Todd switched the knives so that it would be more real…"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE!" Mai shrieked, covering her ears and turning away from them both. If she hadn't, she would have perhaps seen the roguish grins that the two males shot at each other, and Naru covering his mouth to hide the encroaching grin that threatened to cover his face. They may have even gone for a high-five (Mai, much like Nollene, was easy to wind up), if Mai had not turned around to glare at them.

"Let's stay focused on the case, and not the actual specifications of the murder, okay?"

"Killjoy." Lin threw her words back at her, and Mai gritted her teeth. If it weren't for the teasing glint in his eyes, she just might have punched him, or asked Maya to do it later. Who knows, the Terrible Twins (as, she found out courtesy of Madoka during Girl's Night, that was what herself and Maya had been called when they were younger, due to their tendency to get into trouble) may have made an appearance to gang up on Lin. She settled for glaring at him. Lin met her eyes, then rolled his.

"I've seen worse."

"Yeah,' Mai challenged, irked, 'like what?"

"Naru in the morning before his first cup of tea, Madoka on decaf for a week, Ruka in full lawyer mode, your mum…"

Mai notched her glare up a level. Lin raised an eyebrow.

"Better. Not quite 'Naru is supremely annoyed', but closer to 'Naru wants you to cease talking'."

"Naru would love it if Lin stopped categorizing his glares, and would also like Lin and Mai to start paying attention to the case at hand."

Both quietened, and Lin took the opportunity to lean closer to Mai.

"Did something happen during your date?" he whispered. Mai bit her lip.

"It wasn't a date!" she hissed back. "It was tea and a muffin!"

"No cake?" Mai glared at him.

"Why cake?" she ground out. "I hate icing. It's far too sweet."

Lin shrugged, a wicked glint in his eye.

"Well, you could have a date here, with tea and cake."

In front of them, Naru sneezed, which Mai privately thought meant that he was covering up a laugh.

"There'll be death here, obviously. It's not quite Church of England, but it'll do."

"What are you blathering on about?!" Mai snapped. Lin grinned at her, and began to chant.

"Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death!"

Mai stared at him, convinced that he'd lost his mind. Naru was having a coughing fit, leaning against the wall, trying not to breath in the dust too much, while Lin was still grinning, having finished his chant.

"You're mad." She finally stated, looking between the two.

"Thank you for flying Church of England, cake or death!" Naru replied, his voice now carrying a heavier trace of a British accent, before he started sniggering into his hand, Lin hiding a smile. Mai groaned.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." If anything, it made Naru _giggle_ , and Lin giving up all pretences of composure and chuckling.

"We're all mad here!" Lin declared, shoving Mai in a friendly manner. Mai glared at him, and Lin took a step back, Naru taking the opportunity to quip,

"Exit stage left, pursued by a bear."

.

As if on cue, the torches that they held flickered, and a door slammed shut up ahead, the timber walls of the classroom creaking and groaning in discordant harmony with the wind picking up outside. The temperature dropped more rapidly than the mood, and Mai raised her hands, ready to chant. Naru reached out, and pushed her hands down, shaking his head at her questioning look, before glancing at Lin, who had frozen, and was staring down the corridor, face blank.

Naru and Mai followed his gaze, and both froze. There, drifting out of a classroom, was a girl. Or rather, the ghost of one. Her school uniform was pristine and neat, and her hair was tied back in an immaculate French braid. She appeared normal at first glance, until Mai dropped her gaze downwards. Two thick, ugly gashes sliced up her forearms, dripping ghostly blood onto the floor. On closer inspection, Mai noticed that there was blood staining her skirt and socks, with streaks of it covering her blazer where her arms brushed against her sides. Tears ran down her face, the droplets making a splashing sound as they hit the ground that resonated as if they were in an underground cave.

As suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished, floating into a different classroom. The wood stopped groaning, but the wind continued to howl its displeasure at the run-down building. The trio were silent for a few minutes after she'd gone, minds still processing what they'd seen.

"A suicide." Naru finally breathed, looking pale. "And we didn't need a medium to see her. This is practically unheard of."

"She looked younger than me." Mai whispered, aghast. "Two years, maybe more, and she took up the knife. Why?"

"Because,' Lin began, voice quieter than they had ever heard before, and filled with sorrow, 'sometimes there isn't another way out."

.

.

* * *

.

There was silence within the base, each person locked inside their own thoughts.

For once, there was no multitude of cameras and monitors; Lin didn't want to risk permanent damage to them, based off the incident reports of some electronics having to be replaced. Instead, they were doing this the old-fashioned way, including some gas lights that Lin had found in the back of his car (he had no idea why they were in there, but he wasn't going to complain), a standard exorcism kit (courtesy of Madoka, just in case) that contained a bible, a vial of holy water, beads, a _Vajra_ , a few blank _hitogata_ and a small branch with a bell tied to it. Naru had grabbed a silver rod attached to a monitor of sorts, that he explained was a dowsing rod, used by non-mediums to locate spirits.

Still, the base was quiet, except for the steady breathing of the three exorcists, and occasionally, the turn of the page as they looked through the school records. Mai was the first to give in, her patience far shorter than that of the two men beside her.

"I give in! There is literally nothing in here about a suicide, girl or boy!"

"Hm, well, schools like to cover their tracks well. It makes them look good if they have a suicide clean school."

Mai looked at Lin, whose eyes were fixed on his stack of paper as if it held the meaning of life. Or, perhaps, this week's winning LOTTO numbers.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She demanded, when it became clear that Lin wasn't going to elaborate on his answer. Mai was maddened by the half-truths and half-answers that everyone seemed to give her these days, and to be frank, her fuse was currently very, very short. Lin snapped his gaze up, and Mai flinched back at the amount of anger, mixed with grief, that filled them and bore into her very soul.

"What it means, Taniyama, is that schools want to cover up suicides so that they still have students wanting to enrol. Who cares that they may have been bullied by the students, or they had too many expectations thrust upon them by teachers, or that they were merely exchange students, as long as they get to keep the tuition money and can drag the next fool into their pit of hell."

Naru looked up abruptly, intent on stopping the argument before it went too far, but neither of his assistants paid him any mind. Mai's expression was side-swiped; she clearly hadn't expected _that_ kind of retort, but she ploughed on, regardless.

"You seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff, _Lin-san_. But for us lowly mortals, why don't you explain? We can't be all-knowing about everything _all the damn time_!"

Mai almost didn't recognise her own voice as she hissed at the person she once called _Ane_ ; it was if someone had taken pre-SPR Masako melded with every single nasty spirit they had erased, and shoved it into her body, eradicating Mai in the process. The temperature dropped, and Mai's hair started to rise, static crackling around her body as her fuse finally reached the explosives. When Lin spoke, however, the glacial tones extinguished the fire instantly.

"The reason I know about this is because it happened to two friends of mine, simply because they couldn't handle the death threats and the violence towards them once others found out about their sexual preference."

Lin seemed to remember whom he was talking to in that moment, and shook his head, gaze softening as he caught sight of Mai's wan complexion. His shoulders slumped, and Mai felt guilty all of a sudden, for not noticing the hard corners of his mouth, the furrow in his brow, and the way his hands tightened into white knuckles occasionally; the signs of Lin being under stress.

"I'm sorry, Mai. I didn't mean to snap."

"I didn't mean to lose my temper." Mai mumbled, eyes examining the floor, and tracing the grains and patterns of the worn wood with diligence.

"If you two are quite finished…?" Naru interrupted the silence, voice dry. Mai flushed, and turned her attention back to her stack. Lin, however, continued to stare at his stack, but Mai could tell that he wasn't really reading it. Naru had noticed as well.

"Something on your mind, Lin?"

"Naru,' Lin began, 'do you have the class lists in your pile?"

Naru rifled through the pages, hissing as he got a paper cut.

"Yes, why? She may have been removed from the role originally, though."

"Naru, no one checks the hard-copy roll anymore. It's all digital." Mai rolled her eyes, smirking a little at Naru's light blush.

"Excuse me if I haven't been to school for five years. Here." Naru tossed them at Lin, who sighed.

"You're excused. Now, even if she was removed afterwards, she would have been on enrolment lists, then class lists etcetera. If she was seen in the Music room, it would stand to reason that she took Music as a subject, yes? So, if we divide these rolls by year, then by class…" Lin's hands flew amongst the papers, sorting them with brutal efficiency, and handing a stack to Mai, then Naru.

"Then, we can cross off the male students, since the ghost we saw was clearly a girl, which will essentially half the lists, before we compare one year's list to the other."

"It's a great idea, Lin, but there are thousands of female students within schools as big as this, added to all the female students that have attended this school." Mai mentioned. Lin grinned at her.

"Chop it down by subject, remember, Mai? She must have taken music as a subject to haunt the Music room."

"If not?" Naru queried, looking up from his stack of paper to shoot Lin a questioning gaze. Lin shrugged.

"What have we got to lose?"

.

.

Mai felt her eyes drooping as time went on, the battle for staying awake going poorly. Her eyes watered form staring at paper too long in the bad light, and her back ached from her hunched over position that she had maintained somewhere along the 3 hour mark. Lin's idea had been a good one; the stack of papers had been more than halved by examining timetable lines and crossing out the ones that clashed with Music. Music itself seemed to be a very small subject; only about fifteen students would take it each year. Mai had come up with the idea of searching through the old school photos for music clubs, before she found out that there were _always_ people absent from school photos, but she had managed to narrow the list of suspects down from six thousand to two hundred. Currently, she was going through the class roles by term, but the names kept on swimming in front of her.

"Get some rest, Mai." Lin's voice broke through the haze, but she shook her head.

"Almost done…" she broke off to yawn, her jaw cracking after hours of it being rested on her hand. She looked over at Naru, only to find that he was half-asleep as well; lying down with his head rested on his arms, clearly not reading the files anymore. She turned to Lin.

"What about you?" Lin rolled his eyes.

"Sleep, Taniyama. I'll take first watch." Mai yawned again, and dragged herself over to where her bags sat, pulling out her sleeping bag and mat, before crawling in, not bothering about her pyjamas, and hauling her pillow closer. Distantly, she could hear Lin give the same order to Naru, before her eyes shut, and she was dragged into Morpheus' realm.

.

.

* * *

.

Nollene, Monk and Ayako stood staring at the house, Ayako with an arm wrapped around Nollene's shoulders as the men in white coats led the clinically insane woman away, the woman shrieking obscenities at the officers and the three standing to the side. Nearby, paramedics were loading a girl into an ambulance, the girl fitted with an oxygen mask and a neck brace, after the woman tried to kill her with a shovel.

It had seemed a possession at first, but that was before she had also tried to poison Monk, strangle Ayako and stab Nollene. No chants worked, and it wasn't until Nollene got locked in the attic with old bits of paper, including medical files, that she realized the truth. The woman had been diagnosed with extreme bipolar, and had moved away from civilization to avoid any accidents. When her granddaughter moved in to care for her, it had rapidly turned into a mad house, which resulted in SPR being called, as the granddaughter believed that the house was haunted.

"Well, that was fun." Monk commented blithely, earning himself two identical glares from the red-heads standing beside him. He raised his arms, defensive.

"I was kidding!"

Ayako touched her still tender throat, the bruises hidden underneath a turtle neck sweater, and cast a glance at the bandages that were wrapped around Nollene's shoulder.

"She wasn't."

.

* * *

.

Madoka rested her hand against the tree, watching as John interacted with the children at the orphanage. They were currently playing a game of soccer, and Masako was watching from the side-lines with the girls who didn't want to play, currently tying one girl's hair into an elaborate set of braids.

' _Sister, be calm.'_

Madoka slid down the tree trunk, drawing her knees up. Three children missing, and still no clue as to what, or who it might be. Madoka was beginning to be at her wits end. A peel of laughter broke out, and Madoka looked up, seeing John underneath a pile of kids who were tickling him and giggling.

' _All will come to rights._ '

Yeah, somehow Madoka couldn't see that happening anytime soon.

' _Deep roots are not touched by the frost, sister.'_

"It's getting too dangerous to be here." She whispered back, not know whether she was talking to the tree, or to herself. "Any hints?"

There was an answering hum, and her back started to itch. A pensive silence followed, before an answer was offered.

' _Good bark hides rot well.'_

Madoka tensed.

"Oh my gods." She breathed.

.

.

* * *

.

.

 **There we go, all done. It was a right bastard to write, but I did manage it. As per usual read, review, and tell me what you want to see. Drop a review if you recognised any of the references within the story!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	13. The Piano

**I'm back!**

 **"What?" You say, "After so little time?"**

 **Well, loyal readers, it was a struggle, but I managed to get this out before exams really started. My first one is on the 10** **th** **November, and is Scholarship English. My final one is December 2** **nd** **. For the mathematicians out there, this is 23 days of exams and study. I leave school on Nov 4** **th** **. 29 days. A month of exams and study.**

 **There will be no Fanfiction during these days. I'm sorry, but that's life. After that, it should hopefully be clear sailing, but anything could happen. So, yeah, that's my bit done.**

 **Also, fun fact: This story is not Beta'd. So, next time anyone decides to PM me about every** ** _little mistake there is_** **, follow this guide.**

 **1) Does she care? (No)**

 **2) Will she read it? (Maybe)**

 **3) Will she fix it next time? (I do my best, but I'm not perfect)**

 **4) Do I want this aimed at me? (If you don't, then don't flame me. Please. I have very little patience for those sorts of things.)**

 **.**

 **Rant over. Thank you. Please enjoy.**

 **.**

.

* * *

.

 _Mai looked around nervously. The spirit plane, normally filled with lights, was dark and gloomy. She had thought, on first arrival (she hadn't fallen over this time, which was always a bonus), that she'd gone straight into the memory. When nothing had happened within the first five minutes or so, she began to doubt. There was no flash of red, or glimpse of blue (although, she wasn't quite ready to forgive Gene after the last case mishap. She still had nightmares) to break the monochromatic landscape, and the lack of sound was starting to get on her nerves, as was the gaping chasm to her left; the cliff where she'd first met Frost._

 _She was contemplating whether she randomly burst into song or start whistling, when Frost appeared. In a reversal of roles, Mai found herself standing, looking down at Frost, while Frost face-planted, and started cursing in such a variety of languages that Mai was impressed despite herself. Frost looked up, spotted Mai, and then groaned._

 _"If I hear you repeating any of that, then you will be grounded for the rest of your natural life."_

 _Mai couldn't help herself, she giggled. Frost looked at her and rolled her eyes, hauling herself to her feet._

 _"Sorry I'm late; had to deal with a wolf-sprit that decided to tag along without my permission."_

 _Mai blinked._

 _"Can they do that? If they're not shiki, or course, but…I thought nature spirits didn't like people as a general rule." Frost shrugged, looking put out._

 _"They don't. I recused this one from a trap when it was having play-time, and I made the mistake of feeding it. Now, it hangs around, begging for food, sitting in front of my fire and shedding hair all over my jerseys. As for shiki…you're better off asking Lin-san about how he got his shiki, apart from…Tatsuo, I think it is." Mai nodded, lips twitching into a smile at the list of grievances that the wolf-spirit was giving her mentor._

 _"Have you named your spirit?" Frost looked horrified._

 _"No! If I name it, it'll never leave! Why couldn't it be a cat or a bird? No, it just had to be a wolf." She mumbled the last part, ignoring Mai's muted giggles with the ease of long practise. Mai was, after all, a naturally giggly person, and it simply couldn't be helped._

 _._

 _"Now, apprentice mine, I believe I have a little something to show you."_

 _"Oh?"_

 _"Take a deep breath, and close your eyes."_

 _Mai did so, trusting Frost to lead her to the vision. It wasn't often that she trusted people, but she'd known Frost for three years, and during that time, Frost hadn't led her wrong (except for the fight at her school. Because Frost still hadn't apologized for getting her suspended. She'd figured it out as soon as Frost had appeared in a dream and introduced herself). She wouldn't normally close her eyes on the spirit plane; bad things tended to happen to those that did, but she had confidence that Frost would do her job._

 _._

 _Then, with a small giggle, Frost pushed her over the cliff._

 _._

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"I swear to every deity out there, I will kill Frost if she does that again." Mai muttered, picking herself off the floor of the vision. She examined her surrounding with interest (and a sore nose), identifying the room as a single dormitory, and noting the almost obsessive cleanliness of the place. It reminded her of Masako actually; she could never stand having anything messy, not even her own room. Everything had to be in its proper place, and the ornaments had to be just so._

 _._

 _Mai jumped as the door slammed, and a girl ran into the room, clutching ripped paper to her chest. Looking closer, Mai recognized it as music manuscript, and someone had scribbled all over it in red ink, hurtful and spiteful comments slashing across the carefully written notes with gleeful abandon. It wasn't so much critiqued as it was ridiculed, and Mai felt the beginnings of anger rumble somewhere near her lungs at the mess that now covered what was obviously a treasured composition._

 _The girl sobbed, clutching a pillow and staring at her composition in dejection. '_ Who does this girl think she is?' _was scrawled across a rather impressive arpeggiated melody, and '_ Go home, bitch' _was written over the lyrics. '_ Worthless' _was the new title, and was composed by '_ Pathetic Ugly Loser' _, and Mai's blood began to boil._

 _"Bastards." She hissed, clenching her fists so hard that bloody crescents formed on her palms, stinging her every time she flexed her hands. She almost missed the next part of the vision, if it weren't for the glint of silver catching her eye. Mai almost couldn't watch as the girl rolled up her sleeves, and mutilated her arms until they were a gory mess, the knife strokes reminiscent of a bow sawing across the strings of a violin. The blasé way she cleaned up all the blood, and was careful not to get it onto anything that stained was a testament to how many times she had already done this in order to do it that efficiently._

 _._

 _Mai looked away as the girl started on the tops of her legs with detached apathy, and examined the papers on the desk. Hate notes, some scribbled, others printed, were arranged in a scrapbook of some kind, with names written underneath and dates. There were more assignments with red ink spread across them like a malicious painting, and the writing was so different compared to each piece of paper that Mai knew that it wasn't just one person, but a group of them. She was reminded, in that moment, how much she'd hated high school. Teenagers truly were despicable creatures. Well, most of them, at any rate._

 _._

 _._

 _She was taken by surprise when the memory wavered, flexed, and then changed locations, giving Mai a nauseous feeling that never boded well in the visions. Most likely a warning for graphic content._

 _Now, she was in the middle of the hallway that they had walked down, watching as the girl was shoved against the wall, while her bag was split and the contents strewn across the floor in a fit of malice and petty spite. There was already a small crowd that huddled around the scene, while others just hurried past with their heads down, avoiding the attention of the perpetrators._

 _"Well, if it isn't Kami-sensei's favourite student."_

 _"Oh wait, that's right, she isn't here now, is she?"_

 _"No one to protect you now, bitch!"_

 _"Loser!"_

 _"You think that you're so good a music, but it's a miracle that you can even put two notes together on the paper."_

 _"She can't, that's why she was called to the principal's office; she needs to pull her grades up or she'll be expelled."_

 _"Oh, Ms Perfect isn't so perfect, is she?"_

 _"That'll teach her to act like she belongs here."_

 _"Newsflash, retard. You don't. So just go back to where you came from."_

 _"Mummy didn't like you, so she skipped out of town, did she?"_

 _"Daddy got your mum pregnant by mistake?"_

 _"You should have been killed when you were born, so that no one had to put up with you."_

 _"Freak!"_

 _"Go home, slut."_

 _._

 _Mai stared at the girl's blank face, even as a foot shot out to slam into her ribs, the girl didn't flinch or cry out. She just sat there, a crumpled heap on the floor, taking everything that was thrown at her, and then some. Mai was incapable of moving, even if she wanted to, as something deep within her resonated in reaction to the treatment of this girls. It wasn't sympathy; Lord know Mai had had enough sympathy to last her lifetime, with her parents gone and having a slave driver for a boss. No, it was empathy. Because Mai remembered being in that position more than once, before she had moved schools._

 _._

 _She shook her head, and turned away as blood started dripping from the girl's broken nose._

 _"I don't want to see any more." She whispered, hoping that Frost would hear her. When the vision didn't change, Mai's heart sank, and she resolutely turned back to watch. She watched as the bell rang, and the students flocked to their classrooms in droves, while the bloody, broken body of the girl lay slumped against the lockers. Mai felt the tiniest stirrings of hope as a teacher walked towards the girl, and she waited for the teacher to notice and say something._

 _The teacher walked straight past, a "Detention for being out of class, Kurume" being the only acknowledgement the girl got, and Mai blinked at the harsh tone, before turning away._

 _"Let me out, Frost. Please."_

 _._

 _._

 _She was standing in the Music room three doors down from their base. A polished but worn piano stood forlornly in the centre of the room, and dusty guitars leaned against the wall, exhausted from misuse. Old amps creaked under the weight of dust and grime, and the strings of the sagging contrabass hung limply in their confines. The whole room reeked of neglect and loneliness, and Mai drifted over to the piano, eyeing the clean keys with something akin to confusion._

 _"Why is only the piano clean…?"_

 _The door slamming shut, and the sound of stifled sobs was her answer, and Mai instinctively dodged to the left as the girl rushed past, eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed, while her nose still dripped blood, although it was straight once more. She made a beeline to the piano, throwing herself onto the seat with almost reckless abandon, and her fingers flew across the ivory, pouring out all of her thoughts and emotions into a piece that brought tears to her eyes. And it wasn't just her eyes._

 _Salt water dripped onto the keys, and the sobs added a strange harmony, yet it was strangely fitting and melded smoothly into the sound. Mai watched, and listened, and nearby jumped when the girl started singing, voice cracked and broken._

 _._

 _"_ _ **Is this the real life? Or is it just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.**_ _"_

 _._

 _Her fingers stilled, before she stood, and walked over to a cupboard next to an ancient looking teacher's desk which had clearly seen better days. She opened a drawer, and to Mai's horror, pulled out a length of long, thick piano wire. She placed it back on the piano, before climbing to stand on the lid._

 _._

 _"_ _ **Nothing…really matters, nothing really matters…to….me**_ _."_

 _._

 _The piano wire sliced into her fingers, causing rivulets of blood to run down the entwined metal, staining the bronze colour into a dark red, yet the girl continued to weave a shape that appeared abstract to Mai, before the outline of a noose appeared, solidified, and became absolute. She tossed it over a wooden beam above the piano, before tugging on the strings to make it the length she wanted, tying them together with a series of knots that bewildered Mai._

 _._

 _"_ _ **If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on…"**_

 _ **.**_

 _"Because…nothing really matters…" the girl choked, placing the noose around her neck, and Mai flinched as she tightened it, even as the girl finished her song, and moved closer to the edge of the piano._

 _"Nothing matters…anymore."_

 _Mai turned her face away as the girl jumped, but the dull "_ crack' _of the girl's neck snapping still reached her ears, even as she was pulled back towards the living world._

.

* * *

.

She awoke with a start, stifling the scream that threatened to back forth, and resisting the urge to sit up straight (Monk and Ayako had complained that she had a very hard head) and search for someone to cry on (Masako had often been in the room next to her, so she'd crawl in with her and sob on her shoulder until she fell asleep). She took a deep breath, and examined her surroundings. Lin was reading over papers, crossing out names and writing something down, his glasses perched on the end of his nose as he squinted slightly in the dim lighting. He hadn't noticed that she was awake, which gave Mai more time to take stock of her situation. She immediately became aware of five things in an instant.

.

1) She was far too warm for the temperature in the room

2) There was an arm draped over her waist

3) There was another arm pillowing her head

4) There was a heat source against her back and

5) It moved

.

"Oh god." She whispered, blushing a bright crimson, drawing Lin's attention. Lin looked up at her, and blinked, before an amused grin stole over his features and threatened to stay there.

"Comfortable?" He murmured. Mai glared at him, seeing his shoulders shake in the effort to keep his voice bland. He was laughing at her, the bastard! She wouldn't be surprised if he'd moved either of them closer to each other while they were sleeping. She pushed her irritation out of the way, and refrained from wriggling too much.

"How long…?"She whispered back, not wanting to wake Naru by talking too loud.

"About three hours,' he replied, equally low, 'don't panic, he does this often. Normally, it's with Nollene, but occasionally he'll just grab whoever is closest, so when we go on cases he either sleeps on a couch or he bunks with me. You however, are now one of the select few whom he's done this with. Congratulations."

"Shut up, Lin. What am I supposed to do then?"

"Enjoy it while you can, of course!" was the vexing reply. Mai fumed, but stiffened when Naru shifted against her back, his arm tightening and pulling her closer, while his breath ghosted across her neck with each exhale. If possible, Mai turned a darker red, and closed her eyes, mortified that _her boss_ was treating her like his own personal teddy bear. Of course, deep, deep down she enjoyed it, not that she'd admit it, but still…She would have been fired long ago for this, if Naru had actually acted like a normal employer.

Then again…their job wasn't exactly normal by anyone's standards, so did that mean that the normal rules still applied? She couldn't count the number of times Masako had treated her like Naru was now during the cases after Naru had gone, or how many times Madoka had said something inappropriate during work hours, or Monk picking her and Masako up during school for a case. Nor could she count the amount of times Ayako had held her after a nightmare, or John had above and beyond his duty during a case to make sure that no one had been hurt, and possibly acting out of his parameters as a priest.

.

"Do you have any information for me?" Lin's voice broke her from her musings, and she instantly swallowed the nausea down as she remembered the vision.

"Try _Kurume_ for a student's name, and _Kami_ for a teachers."

Lin blinked, and immediately picked up a pile that must have contained names beginning with 'K' (there were about twenty different files arranged around him, which may have made a pattern that Mai couldn't see), sifting through the folders, before pulling out a thin file and opening it.

"Kami, Aiko. Student teacher for a year assisting in Drama, Music and English. Left after she was offered a job at a bigger school. There's only a few other things in here; CV, application, medical history. What was the other one?"

"Kurume."

Lin restarted his search, and pulled out a thicker file, frowning at the red stamp across the top, before he opened it, and held up a picture towards Mai.

"This her?"

Mai squinted at the picture, mentally comparing the smiling face with the tear-streaked one from her memory.

"That's her. Looks a lot happier than when I saw her."

"Suicides aren't normally happy, no."

.

Mai's retort was cut short as Naru yawned, and mumbled in her ear.

"What time is it?" His voice was a few semitones deeper than normal, thick with sleep, and Mai bit her lip, not wanting to answer, least her voice tremble and give away her embarrassment and the secret thrill she got from his close proximity.

' _And to think, I would have killed to be in this position two years ago, now all I can feel is mortified. Go you, Mai.'_

"It's about six thirty, Noll. We have a name for you, _if_ you can be bothered getting up." Lin replied, and Naru muttered something, resting his forehead on Mai's shoulder blades, before he stiffened.

"What the…?" He removed the arm around her waist to rub at his eyes, and Mai could feel his gaze boring into her back, and her shoulders hunched. Mai met Lin's gaze, and saw his lips twitch in obvious amusement. Mai gave him a wicked grin, pushing her humiliation down, and sat up, turning to face Naru, who was staring at her in puzzlement.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, voice bland. Naru, to her surprise, blushed; two spots of colour appearing high on his cheeks, and he avoided her gaze like the plague. It was then that Mai realized that Naru had not completely slept in his clothes; he'd removed his button-down, and was clad in a thin t-shirt with ' _Cambridge University, Class of 2011'_ printed on it in a sloping cursive, with a rearing lion underneath. The most noticeable thing though, was that it clung to him almost like a second skin, doing nothing to hide the fact that Naru was, actually, very well built. The blush that had adorned her face moments before came back full force, and she turned her face away to stare at the floor.

.

"Well, this is all very amusing, watching you two blush like normal teenagers who just got caught by their parents, but we have work to do."

"You said you had a name?" Naru pounced on the change of subject, desperate to avoid the current elephant in the room. Judging by the wry grin on Lin's face, it hadn't escaped his notice either. Lin looked down at the paper, flicking through a few, and Naru stood, offering a hand to Mai, pulling her to her feet.

"Sorry about that; it's a bad habit." He murmured in her ear. Mai shrugged, cheeks a light rose.

"It's fine, Naru. I was just a little…startled. Besides,' she grinned at him, 'I do exactly the same with Masako after a nightmare, so it would be a little hypocritical of me to judge."

She revelled in his stunned gaze, before she turned to Lin, the rising sun reflecting off his glasses.

"So, what was her name?"

"Asuka Kurume."

.

.

The door slammed open as the window shattered in the sudden onslaught of ice that covered the walls, and the girl manifested, eyes glowing and hair whipping around her face, her lips twisted into a gruesome mockery of a smile as the papers scattered around her in a whirlwind. Mai felt a page slice open her cheek as it flew past, and she noticed that Lin was surrounded by a shimmering shield as he clutched something in his hand, blood dripping from a cut above his eye. But that was nothing compared to disdainful tone that imbued the ethereal, echoing voice that the spirit spoke in.

 _._

 _._

 _"You called?"_

.

.

* * *

.

"ARRRRRGH!"

John's fist smashed into the wall of the church, and both Masako and Madoka looked on in sympathy, each secretly wishing that they could do the same. Both, however, were a little shocked at the anger the normally laid-back priest was now displaying, but they felt that it was justified.

.

This morning, it was discovered that two more children, both girls, had disappeared, rounding the total out at 5. Two girls and three boys, all under the age of ten, had been taken from their beds in the middle of the night. They had tried to predict who would be taken next, but there were over twenty children in the orphanage, and attempting to categorize them was near impossible to do so. Based on the hint that Madoka had gotten from the tree (and John _still_ didn't know how that worked), it must have been an inside job, since the high, wrought iron church gates were locked with multiple chains and locks since the first vanishing, and the walls were equally high, in order to block out sound from the nearby highway.

.

The children's doors had been locked after the second kidnapping, so it had to be someone with the keys. People who carried the keys were usually people in authority or caretakers, so that meant the dorm matron, the church warden, the vicar, the curate or a member of the church council. Only two council members had been in the church and the orphanage in the past week. The vicar rarely interacted with the children, and was seen only during services, and the curate was barely around in the first place. That left the churchwarden and the dorm matron.

John slumped against the wall, nursing his very sore (and possibly sprained) hand, and sighed in frustration, barely registering Madoka's presence as she sat down beside him, Masako choosing to lean against the wall. Madoka wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and John automatically leaned into it, regardless of who it was.

"Take a deep breath." Madoka whispered, and John followed her instructions, sucking in a lungful of air as if he had just avoided drowning.

"I just hate feeling so…useless." He said, resting his head in his hands. Masako hummed.

"We all do, but beating yourself up about it isn't going to achieve anything."

John looked ruefully at his knuckles.

"It's a bit late to be telling me that."

.

"Let's not go off topic. What do we know so far?" Madoka chided them. Masako worried her lip.

"Five children are missing."

"They are all under the age of ten." John added.

"Two girls and three boys." Madoka contributed. "What else?"

"Inside job. Not the vicar, because he doesn't interact with the children outside of services."

"Not the curate, because he's hardly around."

"No council members are implicated."

"Leaving only the dorm matron and the churchwarden." Madoka sighed. "We can't call them out on it if we had any proof. We came here to investigate spiritual disturbance, not kidnappings."

"We can rule out any angry spirits seeking revenge; the building is clean." Masako chimed in, and John exhaled in a heavy rush.

"It's times like these that I wish Mai, or even Naru was here. Mai to dream, and Naru to be intelligent. Not that you aren't intelligent," Madoka hastily added, "merely that Noll…well…"

"Is very smart." Masako finished, "Believe me, we know."

"Why?" John broke in, staring at nothing.

"Why is Naru smart? Beats me." Madoka groaned. "He has this irritating smirk when he knows something that you don't but he won't share it…"

"Not that." John bit out. "Why five children, and why those five? What do they all have in common…"

He was missing something vital, and he knew it; it was hovering on the edge of his train of thought, teasing him with wild ideas and…not so…wild…ideas.

"Apart from the fact that they're orphans? I'm not sure." Masako admitted. John stood up, and started to pace.

"We're thinking too broadly. Instead of personality, what do children have in common?"

"Naïve."

"Young?"

.

"Innocent." John breathed, a horrid thought occurring in his mind. "They are innocents. Unspoiled. Five innocents." A memory flashed through his head; of fire and blood, screaming and ashes and the scent of death suffocating him, and one of his brothers lying motionless on the floor with a knife through his abdomen.

"Yes, there is that…" Madoka trailed off, exchanging a confused glance with Masako. John spun around, and grabbed her shoulders, shaking them slightly.

"In the blueprints, was there a large room underground somewhere within the church?"

"Yes, in the basement, for shelter against bombs and military attacks. Why?"

.

"Five innocents taken. Not quite balanced, but the chanter will even it out." John muttered to himself, mind whirring with possibilities.

"John, you're not making any sense." Masako pushed off the wall. "What are you talking about?"

.

John grabbed her hand, while pulling Madoka to her feet.

"I'll explain on the way! We haven't much time left!"

He sprinted off, leaving Madoka and Masako standing there for a few seconds.

"I'm glad that I wear shorts under this thing." Masako muttered, before both women took off after him as they headed towards the empty church in a desperate race against time.

.

.

.

 **Dun, dun DUUUUNNNN! Cliffies, but I am a horrible person. Sorry about the random updates; currently these are being written between study, job hunting, assessments and upcoming exams (always a fun thing).**

 **Next time, we see Naru pull out a few tricks, Mai fall, Madoka throw some punches and Masako kick someone in the unmentionables, while our assassin friends do illegal things on the other side of the country. Just another day at SPR!**

 **.**

 **REVIEW! PLEASE!**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	14. Shoot the Piano Player

**Well I'm back, and now in the stupid realm of unemployment-but-not-qualified-or-experienced-enough. I'll let you read. Please review.**

 **This is for comwiz, who reminded me that I need to update.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

.

Mai stared at the spirit, inching closer to Naru subconsciously, Lin sidling over to stand next to them.

"You are Asuka Kurume, correct?" Lin asked, folder held loosely in his hand. The girl sneered, and folded her still dripping arms against her blouse.

"Duh. Unless you know of any other equally dead and bound students."

Naru and Mai looked at each other, and then at Lin, who remained in a stare off with the spirit.

"You committed suicide on the 14th of June, 2011?"

"Is there a point to all these questions?" The spirit retorted, and in adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting off them.

"Standard protocol, I'm afraid. The higher ups love the bureaucracy and the red tape that covers everything to such a degree that it borders on obsession. Answer the question, please."

"Correct." The spirit huffed, a sullen look crossing her face.

"Excellent. We may proceed with the exorcism."

"What?!"

Mai, catching on to what Lin was doing, stepped forward until she was standing next to the tall Chinese man, picking up the list of injuries of the workers and the damage reports, shooting Naru an amused look.

"Destruction of property, deliberate harm of human beings, terrorizing students…my, Kurume-san, you are in a lot of trouble."

"You see,' Naru picked up, 'normally we leave spirits alone if they are harmless, and pose no threat to living humans. Unfortunately, you have already injured some of the living, so I'm afraid that the exorcism will take place, _unless_ you choose to pass on peacefully."

"If not,' Lin continued, fingers twisting a small, intricate knife around in his fingers,' we have authorization to use lethal force, despite you, you know, being already dead."

Kurume blinked, and pointed a finger at Mai.

"If you're so smart, then how did I die?"

"You hanged yourself, by using a piano wire as a rope, and then jumping off the piano so that your neck snapped." Mai answered in a monotone, garnering herself surprised looks from Lin and Naru. Kurume looked taken aback.

"How did you…"

"Furthermore, haunting a building in order to get revenge on all those who drove you to suicide is just petty and childish. You could have been the better woman and moved on, but you insisted on letting all those comments get to you in order to further your revenge."

"Mai." Naru cautioned, keeping an eye on the rapidly darkening countenance of the spirit.

"You could have moved schools to avoid the instigators, but it was your pride that got you killed in the end."

"What do you know about it?" The spirit hissed, floating closer. "What do you know about names, and harassment, and being slammed up against a locker and your stuff scattered everywhere and trampled on, and the teachers turning a blind eye to all that occurs?"

Mai stared down the spirit, eye to eye, not budging an inch despite the close proximity that the spirit now occupied.

"Because I went through that as well. Unlike you, however, I removed myself from the situation as soon as I could."

"Mai…" Nary began, reaching for her shoulder.

"Later." She brushed him off, never once breaking eye contact with the spirit. "You have a choice now. Leave peacefully, or be forced."

.

There was silence, as Kurume flickered through shock, sympathy, pity, empathy, jealousy, confusion and for one, terrifying moment, a total blank, before settling on anger.

"This is my home,' she hissed, 'music was all that mattered to me, and you're just going to kick me out as if I were trash? You aren't any better than they were. You want me to leave? Fine. I'll go."

Mai, out of the corner of her eye, saw Naru relax marginally, and he opened his mouth to speak, but the spirit interrupted.

" _Only_ …if one of you can out play me on the piano."

Mai sagged in defeat; her piano skills were next to nothing; she preferred drums (she used to imagine them as Naru's head, when he was being especially irritating). If memory served her right, Lin only played guitar (even then the memory was fuzzy and distorted, and only bore a faint resemblance to Lin). That left Naru, and Mai wasn't even sure he _played_ an instrument, so she stood and gaped as Naru walked over to the piano and sat down, immediately breaking into some scales that flew up the length of the piano and back down again. He turned to fix the spirit with a bland gaze.

"When you're ready, Kurume-san." Never before had such polite words sounded so much like a ' _fuck you'_ to Mai's ears, and she turned away to hide a grin. Kurume sat down at the other piano in the room; one that was completely dusty and worn and everything that a haunted piano should look like, before she grinned, displaying an array of sharp, pointed teeth that dripped blood, and indication of how close she was to becoming a 'disgruntled spirit', or one who preyed on humans for fun.

"No, when _you're_ ready."

The sinister laugh that followed did nothing for Mai's nerves, and she felt a cold sweat break out across her back, as a horrific insight occurred to her, even as the spirit ripped into a series of descending notes that blurred her fingers.

.

If Naru lost, they wouldn't be leaving the building alive. Judging by the sudden set of both Naru and Lin's face, they'd realized it to. Naru wasn't playing for the spirit to leave peacefully.

He was playing for their lives.

.

* * *

.

She was good, Oliver would give her that.

Her technique was one achieved by hours of practise and repetition, and there were little, if any, flaws in her playing. She certainly wasn't pulling her punches, starting with Rimsky-Korsakov's ' _Flight of the Bumblebee'_ as a _warm up_ , leaving him, frankly, quite underprepared. He speculated that it was a play to unsettle him (and it did, really, because it made him wonder what else she could play that was insanely fast and difficult and could he even keep up?), but he resolved to throw it back in her face, metaphorically speaking, since she didn't really have a solid face for him to throw something at.

He switched to Mozart's ' _Turkish March'_ , causing her to stop playing, and glare at him.

"That's cheating."

"You wanted to piano duel, so shut up and play." He retorted, inwardly revelling at the perturbed look on her face as he repeated the section, before moving into the second part. Vaguely, he wondered if Gene had taken up residence inside his head in order to provide the feeling of immense satisfaction he was experiencing at the sight of her rapidly darkening countenance, or (some corner of his brain going off to his childhood at the orphanage before England when he left a massive spider in a boy's bed after he'd punched Gene) whether he was always a vindictive little bastard. Though, tossing out the Gene theory as there wasn't any snide commentary that would most likely come from sharing a sub-conscious, he deemed the later to be true.

Kurume let out a noise that was somewhere between shriek and hiss, before launching into… _fuck, he didn't recognise it._ He clenched his fists, hearing his knuckles crack, and narrowed his eyes. _She wanted to play it that way?_ Fine.

There was a choked sound from his left when ' _The Imperial March'_ thundered out of the piano; most likely Lin trying not to laugh, and Kurume stared at him as he switched to ' _Duel of the Fates'_ , giving her the most polite smile he could muster as he executed ' _Battle of the Heroes'_ with faultless tremolos in the bass clef (his left hand had always been the stronger hand) while her face twisted into gargoyle-like proportions of anger.

"Stick to the rules!" she hissed, a wind picking up as she stood. Naru raised an eyebrow at her, and ceased playing.

"You didn't specify the rules to start with. Your instructions were to 'keep up', so I did, before I passed you. Now you want to change?"

Kurume growled, and flicked ghostly blood at him. He didn't flinch, and she looked disappointed. He didn't dare look at Mai or Lin, in case Kurume decided that they were on her 'next to kill' list in which she had to challenge them to an instrument duel. Lin would be fine, but he didn't know about Mai (NOTE: find out if she plays an instrument at all. Find common ground to build relationship). Naru shook his head, and stared at Kurume, fixing her with his iciest gaze.

"Shall we do this the old fashioned way, then? Three rounds; Composer, Improvisation and Cover. First round is a composer and song of your choice. Second will be improvisation in a key agreed on by both participants. Final round is a cover of a modern song. Best of three."

Kurume nodded, and sat back down, gesturing for him to play first.

"Visitors first."

"Oh no,' Naru contended, sarcasm dripping from every syllable, 'ladies first, I insist."

Again, the choked cough, and a barely audible giggle that must have been Mai, before Kurume restarted ' _Flight of the Bumblebee'_ , face drawn in concentration as her fingers navigated the expanse of the piano. Oliver sat there, analysing her technique once more, picking up interesting things that he hadn't noticed more; her left hand was weaker, and she had some difficulties with using her marriage and little finger, instead substituting the middle, index and thumb where she could. She could only stretch to a 9th, whilst Naru knew that he could reach an 11th, with a 12th uncomfortable but manageable. Her pedal was just a fraction too slow (but so was his, he wasn't a professional after all), and she preferred the upper region of the piano, while he himself was partial to the more…bass heavy songs, but he might make an exception, just this once. Jazz was his forte, but he wanted to save that for the improvisation section, and not show his strengths first off…as Kurume did. _Idiot._

Kurume finished with a flourish, and left her hands in the air for a few seconds, before lowering them to rest in her lap. There was polite applause from Lin and Mai, but Naru ignored them as he dug up a tune he'd once played as a kid. It was mildly difficult, but if played perfectly (and Naru never settled for anything less than perfection), it was stunning.

He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths, before lifting his fingers to the cool ivory, in a trance-like state.

' _There es no sound, Oleever. No audeeence. Just you, the peeano and the mooseec.'_

Yes, he mused, as the first dulcet tones of Franz Liszt's ' _La Campanella'_ were coaxed from the old piano, there is only himself, the piano, and the music.

He lost himself in the memory; then twelve, and itching for something that calmed his hyperactive brain (a side effect of the large PK well inside him), when Luella had signed him up for piano lessons, which he'd taken to with religious fervour. He'd practised every day, for at least three hours before he was forced to go to bed by Mei, and his teacher, a Frenchman who went by Jean-Luc, had thrown music at him as fast as he could learn it. It was this dedication that led to him to performing at the end of year concert after a year of lessons as a soloist, and he'd chosen the then-most-challenging piece to play. It had irritated Gene that he spent so much time practising, but they saw each other at school and at home, so he hadn't been that fussed about the continuing cold-shoulder from his older twin (because really, Oliver was more mature, despite being a whole 6 minutes younger).

Silence fell, and Naru dragged himself back to his surroundings, realizing that his hands were still pressing on the final chord, and that Kurume was saying something about difficulties, but he really couldn't pay attention to what she was saying, until something hit him upside the head, and a light cackling chuckle that indicated that Láng (damn wolf. Naru was sure that he was _howling_ with laughter) was responsible for his sudden focus. And the bruise that may or may not be forming on his head.

"…the key will be F major. Modulation will be allowed. I will start."

Naru blinked, before he sat up and paid attention to what Kurume was playing. One of the (unspoken) rules of Improvisation was that the person who started set the melody for the entire round. If you played a wrong note the first time, you lost instantly. And, Naru was quite fond of being alive. As it turned out, he needn't have bothered. The 'improvisation' that she was playing was simple in the extremes; a basic ascending ostinato in the bass, and a thin, tinny sounding melody that came with playing it 2 octaves above middle C.

' _No experience in improvisation_ or _a duel. And here I was worrying about dying.'_

Mentally analysing the chords she was using (the 4-chords, ugh. Boring), and tweaking a few chords here and there to fit both the key and the melody, he started, cutting across what he assumed was the end (she'd used a perfect cadence, hadn't she?) with exactly the same melody that she'd used, smirking at her as she fumed. Once he'd decided that she'd stewed enough, he struck with barely concealed glee.

The melody was transferred into the bass part, and only bore a passing resemblance as he shoved the entire song into the relative minor, added a new melody, and basically renovated the entire piece into something that wouldn't sound out of place in a bar (to be fair, his teacher had made him play in a few to 'get experience'). He added in a glissando, just for fun, and darted his eyes up to catch a glance at the furious face of Kurume, which was rapidly paling as he upped the tempo and added embellishments left, right and centre. Really, this was far too much fun. When was the last time he'd sat down at the piano and just mucked around? More so, when was the last time he had indulged Nollene in a piano duel that had them flinging insults at each other for the entirety of the duel? (NOTE: Spend time with Nollene, even if she annoys you).

.

He must have done something right, because Kurume was still staring at him, making no attempt to wrest back control over the round, but seemingly content to gape, doing a rather impressive impression of a stunned mullet.

' _Let's finish this, then we can go home. I just know that there's going to be a mess of paperwork on my desk when I get back.'_

A flick of the wrists, and his fingers flying across the keys, the song ended in a glorious fashion, Oliver's hands still shaking slightly from the adrenaline pumping through his veins; the rush of completing or creating something, or knowing that he'd done something spectacular a euphoric high that made his PK sing within his core.

' _Anyone who says that music isn't exciting needs to be shot. God, I'd forgotten how good it feels to perform.'_

There was a stunned silence, Kurume staring, Mai probably standing by Lin with her mouth open in shock, and Lin smiling smugly (because dammit, Naru could never get one over him). Naru leaned back slightly from the piano, and exhaled heavily, before switching his gaze from the pale ivory to the spirit who had the stupidity to challenge him.

"Final round." He uttered, voice low, and Kurume straightened her spine, teeth bared and face starting to twist permanently into the standard for evil spirits. Naru knew that he was running out of time now; even if he won, they'd still have to exorcise her form the building; she was too far gone into the base emotions that spirits held onto after they died to pass on of her own accord.

Kurume, surprisingly, opened with ' _Bohemian Rhapsody'_ by Queen, of all things, singing the melody. She had a nice voice, he supposed (he'd only really heard Nollene and Mei sing, and Gene, but only at Christmas), and it was a fair cover of the…busy song, but…he needed to pick a song, she was nearing the end. He internally debated between the pros and cons of singing, before deciding against. Singing Christmas carols, hymns (when Luella dragged him to church) or with Nollene when it was her birthday did not a singer make.

Kurume finished, and smirked at him, and Naru could feel his blood boiling. It was the same smirk that teachers had given him when he asked for more work, or the adults at Cambridge who thought that he was there as a joke, and later, even his colleagues at BSPR; the one that indicated that they didn't think he could do anything better.

"Beat _that_ , 'Naru'."

His restraint went out the window.

"There are currently six people who I allow to call me that; you are not one of them." He uttered lowly, a borderline growl. Tossing his decision not to sing in a mental trash bin (Lord, she pissed him off enough to make him lose his temper), he enticed one last song out of the dilapidated upright.

" **She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes** …"

As he sang the opening lines of Billy Joel's ' _Always a Woman',_ he resisted the urge to smirk as he sang the lines in _English_ , and not Japanese. Kurume was fuming, and he spotted Lin out of the corner of his eye sidling along the wall to get behind the spirit, the decorated knife he was playing with before drawing blood from his fingers, as he mouthed something, most likely a binding spell to hold the spirit in place in case she tried to attack. Deciding to keep the attention on him, he switched to German on the second verse (courtesy of an exchange student who was able to keep up with his brain during his second semester. His English had sucked, so Naru decided to learn German to help him out), and then to French (because if his piano teacher was going to swear at him in French, then he was going to damn well understand all the words), before finishing in English once more.

Mai clapped and whistled, and Naru fought a faint blush that threatened to cover his cheeks as he deigned to give her a small wave, before turning to Kurume.

"Well?"

Kurume looked ready to explode, and Oliver suddenly had the vague feeling that he should be moving backwards, away from the spirit. Ignoring his instincts that were screaming ' _FLEE!'_ he stood, and leaned against the piano, staring her down.

"Will you leave peacefully?"

Kurume snarled, and her teeth elongated, fingernails transmuting into talons, and her face twisting into something macabre. Naru merely sighed, and raised an eyebrow.

"That's rude. Lin! Proceed…" the spirit flew at him,' …with all due haste." He added as he ducked, before moving to the doorway, grabbing Mai as he went past. "Come on, we might get in the way."

Mai shrugged out of his grip, and paused in the doorway, turning to watch Lin, much to his ire.

"What is he using?"

The question drew the attention of the spirit, and she flew past Lin to dive at Mai, who raised her arms instinctively, even as Naru was about to pull her behind him. A silver shield burst into existence, covering Naru as well, and the spirit blasted into it at full pelt, exploding upon impact and then vanishing in a swirl of black sand.

"That was anticlimactic." Lin commented from across the room, not even breathless. The shield vanished, and Mai dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, Naru's reflexes preventing her head from hitting the floor. Naru shot Lin a questioning glance, and Lin shrugged.

"I've never really seen her use it outside of practise when she was a kid. This is new for me. However,' he bent, and took Mai's pulse,' the sooner we get out of here, the better."

Naru surveyed the music room; the piano that he played looking faintly clean from his playing, the contrabass sagging in the corner, and the grimy window near the ceiling.

"Let's go."

.

.

Mai woke up in the van, leaning against a very comfortable shoulder, and an icepack on her head. She vaguely remembered throwing up a shield to protect herself and Naru, but there wasn't much after that. She could hear Naru and Lin talking about something; Naru's voice vibrating from his chest (it was a very nice chest as well) and against her cheek, and the van moving, so they must have left already.

Smiling slightly, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

.

.

* * *

.

.

John barrelled through the church and between the pews, startling the vicar, who was preparing for an early morning sermon.

"Father Brown, what…"

"We'll talk later, sir! We know where the missing children are!" he tossed over his shoulder, leaping down the stairs and sprinting down the corridor towards the spiral staircase he had spotted earlier, Madoka hot in his heels.

"Down these and to the left, then down another set of stairs on the right." She called, and John followed her instructions, sliding down the banister of the staircase to save time.

"What's going on?" Masako demanded, sounding a little winded.

"The matron is taking them. She was good, but she could only take two girls instead of three, otherwise the balance would have been upset, and she could have killed herself. So, in total, there are three girls and three boys."

"And they let her work here?" Madoka puffed, pulling abreast of John. "But if we go in there, won't we upset the balance?"

"Not if you don't put blood on the floor." John paused at the doorway, hand hovering over the handle, and turned to look at Masako and Madoka. "You need to get the kids out instantly, before the matron finishes."

"What about the matron herself?" Masako asked. John felt his lips twist into a grim smile.

"Leave her to me."

.

.

It was something out of a nightmare.

The five children were bound and gagged, each at the points of a pentagram draw in chalk and surrounded by salt, tears streaming down their faces. The matron stood to the side, a goblet (it looked suspiciously like the one used for communion), raised above her head with a thick red liquid inside. John resisted the urge to spear-tackle her to the floor, and watched in the shadows, trying to determine what she was summoning. Madoka went to move past him, but he held out an arm to block her.

"Wait." He murmured, eyes assessing the symbols carved into the floor. _Demon, upper, powerful, revenge…Jesus, Mary and Joseph._

.

He shot forward, realizing too late what, or who, she was summoning, and slammed into her at full tilt, spear tackling her into the ground as if he were playing rugby, just as she was about to utter the final words. The matron screeched in outrage, and John saw Madoka rush forward and pull the first child, a boy, out of his circle, undoing the knots easily, while Masako made a beeline for one of the other boys.

' _Upsetting the balance further. Smart.'_

The matron elbowed John in the ribs (and man she packed a punch), before scrambling to her feet. John, seeing her open her mouth to shout, practically screamed the words that would disrupt the process.

"GRATIA DEI, NON EVOCATION!" The pentagram flared, and it was then, too late, that John felt the blood trickle from his nose, and onto the floor, hitting the chalk with a hiss. Madoka yelled something, and pulled the third boy away, while Masako went for one of the girls, her kimono ripped at the hem as if she'd stood on it.

"John, stop her!" Madoka yelled, gesturing towards the matron who was pouring something onto the floor, and he burst into action. Pulling a vial of holy water out of his jacket, he hurled it into the centre, even as he moved towards the matron once more, knocking the goblet out of her hands and driving his fist towards her stomach, imagining that it was his sister Esther (because hitting sisters was okay), and not some madwoman trying to raise a demon.

A sudden explosion pushed them all back, and John collided with the wall, wheezing as the air got knocked out of his lungs, and he felt one of his ribs crack as it hit concrete. The final girl had been pushed out of her circle, and was crawling to where Masako held out a hand (she looked okay, John was relieved to notice, just a little cut above her eyebrow) and Madoka had shoved the other children out the door and back up the stairs, an arm wrapped around her ribs and a spreading bruise flowering on her collarbone. Her face had paled, and John followed her gaze to the _monster_ that now resided in the pentagram. Unfortunately, he recognized the demon, after hours of the knowledge being pounded into his head before he could even throw a punch.

 _'Abaddon. Lord have Mercy on your servants as we battle against one of your foes.'_

.

Masako had frozen with the girl pushed behind her, and the matron was staring up at the demon in wonderment.

"My Lord Abaddon, your faithful servant greets thee."

John, ignoring the simplest rule, swore under his breath. She was willing, and had wilfully summoned one of the Upper Demons to do…something that he didn't want to think about, but it was obviously big, if she had to sacrifice _children_ instead of animals.

Abaddon stepped out of the destroyed circle, reached out his hand to enclose the matron in one fist, and _squeezed._ John turned away as there was an ear-splitting shriek of horror and pain, before the _crunch_ of bones reached his ears, accompanied by the slightly squishy sound of human flesh being pulverized. He gestured to Masako to start moving towards the door slowly, before standing up. It was his blood that had activated the circle, and now he had to pay the price.

" ** _Who dares to stand before me? The Prince of Destruction, who rains terror and chaos to all the worlds. Who dares to stop me?"_**

His voice thundered in the small enclosed space, and John resisted the urge to block his ears, instead standing up straight and lifting his chin in a rare show id defiance.

"I do." He challenged, refusing to back down when the full weight of the demonic stare focused on him. He stared into the black pits where the eyes should have been, and fingered the cross on the leather bracelet that he wore (an idea from Monk, who wore the beads that he used for his exorcisms) to hide the trembling in his fingers.

 ** _"You, boy? I know your eyes; the family of demon hunters that have slaughtered so many! And, the mark of the enclave which you serve. You are no match for me, mortal!"_**

"Not by myself, at any rate." John muttered, eyes closing as he reached deep inside of himself, to the well of pure light that had filled him since he'd been branded. His father had almost been executed for experimenting with angel blood and bindings on John; the rules of the demon hunters forbade any experimentation on children, but he'd managed to sway them with ' _He will be a powerful asset, when he controls it'._ But John had never tapped into it, nor asked for assistance, nor even attempted to talk, to the angel that shared his body, and sometimes possess it. Until now.

" _Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Briathos invoco in auxilium, et robustos omnes qui repugnant maxima daemonia nullum adjuvet pugnare contra mala. Ades viribus Briathos et scientiam assequi non recipiente uestigium et in terra hostili, atrum daemones dissipabis consilium. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, amen_."

He murmured, arms outstretched from his sides, opening his eyes to see Masako make it to the doorway, turning back to look at him. He mouthed 'go' at both Madoka and Masako, before he closed his eyes as a burning sensation overcame his nerves. Then Briathos, the angel known for thwarting demons, and lesser known for sharing his body, let out a yell of triumph, along with a wordless pulse of energy that caused John to sway on his feet, before taking over, and John knew no more.

.

.

Masako hurried the children along, her kimono now reaching her knees as she'd torn strips off it to bandage wounds. It certainly made things easier to run in, but as she looked over her shoulder back into the chamber, she felt the need to run faster. The building was shaking, and bits of masonry dust fell form the low ceiling as the group hurtled up the spiral stairs and out into the church. The vicar stood by the door, an unreadable expression on his face. Next to him stood the church warden and the curate, each a step behind the vicar.

"Where is Father Brown?" Madoka shook her head.

"We need to get outside." She made to move past him, and he grabbed her wrist in a tight grip, dragging her back.

"You are not leaving. We promised to hold you here until our Master arrives, for we will share in the glory of all chaos and destruction."

Madoka froze, and peered into the vicar's eyes, seeing them blank and glassy; a typical sign of possession or outside influence. Once glance at the others, she drew the same conclusion, before turning to Masako.

"Evil can find roots in the hearts of all, for good bark hides rot well."

Masako paled, before staring at the other two, discretely pushing the children behind her. The vicar seemed not to notice, eyes still fixed on Madoka.

"Master shall reward us with the spillage of your tainted blood."

Later, Madoka would be mortified with her loss of control; she tried to be as controlled as possible, especially during the warmer months, but with the utterance of the words ' _tainted blood'_ , having heard them many times in regards to her friends and her boyfriend, she snapped.

Clenching her free hand (and mentally apologizing to the vicar) she punched the vicar in the face, before snapping the wrist currently enclosing hers, even as her foot flew up to kick the curate in the chest. Both went flying, and she turned to deal with the warden, only to find Masako standing over the man currently curled up in the foetal position, whimpering on the floor. She put two and two together, and winced.

"Ouch. What did he do?"

Masako sniffed, and looked down her nose at the man.

"He wouldn't look at my face. Pervert."

Abruptly, ground stopped shaking, and Madoka paled.

"Do you think…?"

Masako shook her head, and started to drag the curate outside, asking the kids to handle the vicar between them all, and Madoka hefted the warden, groaning at the dead weight.

"Let's just get outside." Her voice was tight, and Madoka remembered, way before Naru had come back, the slight admittance of love for the blond priest from the normally cold medium. The children that they had rescued were surrounded by the other children who had evacuated the building, and were standing in the designated assembly point, the vicar lying awkwardly on the grass. An older woman, who Madoka assumed was the cook for the orphanage, was counting heads, and seemed relieved when Masako went to help. Madoka looked towards the building, and crossed her fingers.

"Come on, John. Get out of there."

She could see the building shudder, and someone screamed, before as side building off the church collapsed into the ground. Right where the room would have been.

"No." Masako whispered, grabbing Madoka's hand.

"We'll wait a few more minutes." Madoka replied. "Then we'll go in and start sifting through rubble."

Minutes passed in agonizing silence, even the children had quietened down, and the warden was attempting to stand up, the curate starting to waken.

.

It was one of the boys they rescued who spotted John first, pointing with a cry at the hand that emerged from the pit, followed by an arm that swept rubble out of the way. Madoka sprinted towards him, pulling the surrounding rubble away, before grabbing the hand, (it was too warm. Why was it so hot?), and pulling John halfway out of the hole. Halfway, because she looked at his eyes, and dropped his hand as if she'd been electrocuted. Instead of the usual sky blue, his eyes were a burning gold, and lacked the whites. John looked at her.

"I do require some assistance, if you would be so kind? My legs are still stuck." His voice patterns had changed, and the intonation was all wrong, but Madoka did as he asked, because even though it was someone else. It was still _John_. She pulled, and he came free, dusting himself off.

"I must apologize for maintaining the possession." He began. "I wanted to make sure that my current host suffered no ill effects afterwards. Rarely do they survive after an extended amount of time."

"Then why are you still possessing him." Masako hissed, coming up beside Madoka.

"Young medium, I do so in order to save him from being pulverised by several tonnes of stone and dirt. Remember that." Masako flushed, and Not-John turned to Madoka.

"My name is Briathos. You may tell your young priest that if he ever has need of me, he need only call my name, and I shall answer. Until our next meeting."

Gold faded to blue, and John toppled forward, Madoka lunging to catch him before he hit the ground, and taking in his barely there, erratic pulse. She looked up at Masako.

.

"Let's not go to the hospital. I don't know how to explain this."

Masako laughed, and gestured to swap places with Madoka.

"Bring the car round. I'll let Naru know that we're finished."

.

.

.

 **End of cases. Next time, the debriefing is possibly one of the strangest Naru has ever had, and Mai lets slip that he plays piano to everyone. John talks about his possession and how it came to be, and Yasu and Nollene have a long overdue chat.**

 **Drop a REVIEW!**

 **Till then!**

 **Siofra.**


	15. The Two of Us

**Hey, I'm back! With the next chapter, as well, boy I'm good. Please drop a review, I NEED them. Tell me what you want to see next!**

 **Enjoy the story!**

.

* * *

 **.**

"Swing that one by me again?"

Oliver was staring at John, who was currently leaning against Yasu, still out cold, and drooling slightly. Yasu didn't seem to mind; he'd occasionally pause from his inspection of his phone to run his fingers through John's hair, mussing it horribly, or he'd lean his own head against that of the blonde priest. Madoka, curled up on the two-seater that currently held Mai and Masako as well, shrugged, her hands wrapped around a cup of hot tea.

"It's pretty straightforward. John was possessed, and then the angel de-possessed him once he was safe. End of story."

Naru exchanged a confused glance with Monk, who shrugged.

"Still don't get it."

Madoka sighed, and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose for a second, before taking a sip of her tea, leaning back as she swallowed. She looked tired, Naru noticed; tenseness around the mouth and eyes, and clearly a continuous headache. He felt a stab of pity, before he turned to Masako.

"Your thoughts, Ms Hara?"

Masako hummed, and stared at John, more curious than thoughtful.

"It was angelic possession, but it is not my area of expertise, and I am not in contact with anyone who is. It was strange; normally possessors do not care for their hosts, yet this one ensured that John would not be crushed by the rubble, but perhaps it is part of their divine…code, or sorts."

"They're angels,' Nollene drawled from her position next to Oliver, engrossed in a tome on Japanese spirits,' of course they have morals. The Big Man Upstairs might not be so kind if they left their host die after using them."

"Unless they're fallen angels." Yasu supplied. "Would they care then?"

"No." Nollene answered, finally looking up and catching Yasu's eyes in her heterochromia gaze. "Because fallen angels generally become demons; twisted and disgusting, with no sense of right or wrong. Just pain, pleasure and blood. They wouldn't bother with a possession."

"Aren't you cheerful today." Oliver muttered to her, and Nollene shrugged.

"I got stabbed by a psychopathic bitch, and I'm not allowed another painkiller until 4pm. What is there to be cheerful about?"

Oliver gave her one of his ' _I-think-you're-being-stupid'_ looks, and Nollene sighed, leaning against him. It wasn't the first time that she'd been injured, but normally it was small stuff. This was her first major injury. And the worst part for her? PK-LT's couldn't heal themselves. Others, yes, even multiple people at the same time, if they were skilled enough, but not themselves, although they did have an accelerated healing rate as a perk.

"It's weird, though." Madoka spoke up. "Why John? I mean, I get that he probably has a few tricks up his sleeve to prevent that sort of thing happening, but…"

"It still doesn't make any sense." Ayako finished, speaking up for the first time, staring at the table whilst rubbing her fingers gently over the bruises that littered her neck. "How did _John_ manage to get possessed in the first place?"

.

"Because the angel was already there."

John stared at them with bloodshot blue eyes, blurry with fatigue, and his voice croaked and cracked like an old man's. Mai immediately jumped into action, Ayako close behind, as Mai provided water, and Ayako took his temperature and jotted down notes on a paper pad.

"How are you feeling?" John looked at Ayako, and raised a sardonic eyebrow, and Ayako flushed, muttering something under her breath that Oliver couldn't catch. He decided to save everyone from the awkward silence.

"Clarification on your previous statement would be greatly appreciated." He suggested, and John sighed, tilting his head backwards to rest on the couch, and closed his eyes, fingers tapping a short staccato on his legs.

"It's a bit difficult to talk about, but you deserve to know, I suppose. I mean,' John lifted his head up to stare at the so-far silent Lin,' it's not as though I'm a wanted assassin or ex-ring fighter."

Lin looked up from his laptop, and his eyes seemed to channel a ' _so-what-deal-with-it'_ message, which John rolled his eyes, before turning to face Oliver.

.

"Open question. What do you know of the Hunter's Creed?"

"Like Assassin's Creed?" Yasu queried, eyes alight with fan-boyish glee. "Do real assassins have one?" He directed at Lin.

"No."

Yasu deflated slightly at the flat, curt tone of Lin's voice, and Oliver felt sympathetic. He had often been on the receiving end of that particular tone as well, and it generally meant ' _I'm-working-and-you're-asking-stupid-questions-please-shut-up'_.

"It's like some sort of religious code, right? A principle that you follow." Monk posed, and John nodded.

"It's a set of rules laid down by the First Enclave of Elders, to prevent the discovery of our line of work and…people abusing their positions to gain status. We serve God, first and foremost, not ourselves."

"Is that part of the Creed?" Masako asked, and John shook his head.

"The Creed is more of a set of rules than a broad statement, so that said statement can't be interpreted different ways, although there is some leeway with the rules anyway."

"Rules." Nollene stated, confusion etched upon her face. "Like 'thou shalt not kill'?"

John frowned, before he shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but someone cut across.

"Don't fuck with the dead. No summoning's for personal gain. No enslaving demons and/or angels. No experiments with the blood of either demons and/or angels. No experimentation on humans with aforementioned blood. Always clean up your mess."

"It's a little more eloquently written than that, but that's all it is, in essentials." John replied, ignoring the incredulous gazes directed at Lin. "I'm surprised you know it."

Lin finally looked up from his laptop screen, eyeing John with something akin to disbelief clouding his eyes, one sardonic eyebrow lifted.

"I summoned demons for kicks when I was a teen. I currently have six in my service, and have been hunted by demons of all shapes and sizes for years. If I didn't know about it, I'd have to be either very stupid or very desperate to be executed by Enclave law."

"That's true." Madoka sighed, closing her eyes and inhaling the steam from her cup. "But there was a time, about six years ago in England…"

"Shut up." Lin snapped, glaring at the pink-haired woman. "You don't know anything about that."

There was an awkward silence, broken by Yasu.

"Sooo…the angel was already there? And you just...how does it relate?"

"My father believed that if he bound an angel in a human body, said human could tap into angelic power at any time, and become the ultimate weapon." His voice turned bitter. "Lucky for him, he had a ten year old son that he could use, instead of hunting down a subject. He made a crucial mistake, though. He didn't count on the angel that he summoned having a conscience, and deciding not to smite the subject where he stood. Even if it meant that he would be stuck in said body for nine years before he would be let out again."

.

"Shit." Everyone turned to Lin, who had paled. "You're _that_ Brown kid? You're father's name is Peter, right?"

"Lin?" Monk queried, voice holding a weird tone to it that Oliver couldn't identify.

"No really, there was a big uproar about it. Peter Brown was scheduled to be executed for breaking the Creed, and then all charges were dropped. Almost instantly there was a big influx on experimentation with angel and demon blood. Eight people were assassinated in Japan alone for breaking the Creed, because they'd been taking children as test subjects. Then there were rumours of one of Peter's kids being the reason that the charges were dropped, because per Enclave Law, the experimenter _and_ experiment had to be destroyed."

John looked embarrassed; his cheeks were bright red, and his eyes were examining the carpet.

"You heard?"

"Everyone did. Japan, China, Korea, America, England and even Spain." Lin confirmed, and John sank into his seat, face now bright red.

"Great."

.

"So, we had a bi-polar woman who locked herself away for her own good and then her daughter came and screwed everything over, and she turned psycho." Monk changed the subject, dragging the attention away from John and back to the real reason that they were there.

"Pretty simple. Show up, discern the problem, deal with it. With a few,' Ayako paused to cough, and to take a sip of water, rubbing her throat, 'deviations."

"It was fun before she stabbed me and tried to throttle Ayako." Nollene chimed in, and Monk snorted.

"At least you didn't almost get your skull crushed with a shovel."

"So it was essentially a very bad horror film?" Yasu quipped, and Nollene giggled quietly into Oliver's shoulder, hiding her face from view. Oliver pinch her in the side, and gave her an innocent look when she glared at him.

"It wasn't that funny." He whispered, and Nollene nodded.

"I know. It was more that fact that our _lives_ fundamentally count as being one massive, terrible horror film."

Oliver looked at his sister strangely, wondering for the billionth time how, exactly, her mind worked.

.

"What about you, Naru? Lin? Mai? Anything exciting?" Masako asked politely. Oliver and Mai exchanged a quick glance, each silently agreeing not to mention the sleeping incident in front of their colleagues. A quick glare at Lin ensured his silence on the matter as well, although Oliver could tell that it was being held as future blackmail material to embarrass him further. A silence further developed when Oliver couldn't actually think of anything to say. Unfortunately for him, Mai opened her mouth in order to break the silence.

"Naru duelled a spirit on the piano."

"What! No fair!" Nollene complained, huffing and crossing her arms. "I always miss your duels."

Oliver, however, was taking in the blank expressions of his co-workers, and the smug little grin that Lin was currently sporting (the bastard. He knew that this would happen, damn him).

"On…piano?" Ayako queried, staring at him as if he were a specimen under a microscope.

"I didn't know you played?" John murmured, although it came out sounding more like a question than a statement. Monk and Yasu nodded, and Masako looked at him from over her kimono sleeve, eyes narrowed.

"It was…" Oliver struggled to find the words to explain. How could he? Apart from Ms Hara, no one else had to deal with something that was always _boiling underneath his skin itching to break free and destroy_ , and even John's…affliction had come later. How could he explain the need to be able to exhaust himself so that he could sleep, so that his body started to burn PK after he had expended all of his energy? How his brain had never shut off, even while he slept?

"Naru?" Mai's voice broke into his thought, soft. He realized that his struggle to adequately put his thoughts into words must have shown on his face, and he grimaced at the slight lack of control that he had just displayed.

"It was…a…way to shut down my brain, or exhaust it to the point where I wasn't falling asleep; I was collapsing from exhaustion instead. You must understand that…PK, or very large amounts can take a toll on the body. If not exercised, then it can…encompass the vessel, and eventually…explode, to put it in mild terms."

From the looks he was receiving, 'explode' wasn't quite the term he should have used, but really, there wasn't anything better. He sighed.

"PK keeps you up at night, because your brain is still trying to deal with it. Playing piano requires large amounts of practise, concentration and multitasking, therefore tires your brain. Ergo, I could sleep if I played before going to bed."

"For three hours." Lin muttered, and Oliver shot him a glare.

"Says the man who spent eight hours punching a bag because he had been _propositioned._ "

"Shut up." Lin grumbled, ignoring the sniggers from Yasu and Madoka. "We're off track. Naru played piano, the spirit got tetchy because she lost, Mai threw up a shield, spirit flew into it and got vaporized, and Mai collapsed but slept it off. The end."

"That was beautiful, Koujo. You should write a book." Madoka jibed, and Lin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in resignation.

"I'm doomed." He muttered, and Nollene reached across to pat him on the knee in sympathy.

"There, there, Lin. Everything will be alright."

"If that's all everyone wanted to bring up?" Oliver enquired, and stood when they replied with the negative. "Right. Please remember to file the incident reports with Nollene, and case notes with Mai. Dismissed."

Everyone, bar Madoka, stood with a groan or a mumble; Oliver swore he even heard Monk's knees crack, and he definitely heard Lin's back pop (old men), and he tapped Mai on the shoulder as she went past.

"Mai, might I have a word with you?" She paused, and he hesitated, before adding "Alone."

"Oh!" She looked surprised, and Oliver's mouth suddenly felt very dry. "Of course. Come into the kitchen; you can help me wash dishes, and talk."

"Great, thanks." Perfect, he even sounded nervous.

' _It's just a talk, Noll. Nothing awful.'_

"…Naru." Oliver snapped back to attention, and was faced with Mai's patient smile; she'd obviously tried to get his attention before.

"Sorry,' he gave her an awkward smile,' what did you say?"

"I asked whether you wanted to wash or dry."

"I'm fine with whatever." He replied, noting the small happy glint in her eyes.

"Great! I'll wash!"

Really, though, Oliver should have expected Mai to be that person who always wanted to wash dishes. With her personality, and the possibility of bubbles in the near vicinity, it was inevitable that it would be her preference (he preferred to dry, if only so that he had a towel handy to whip Nollene or Lin whenever it was their turn). And indeed, Mai poured what seemed to be half the bottle into the sink so that a veritable mountain of bubbles appeared to rise out of the sink like some science experiment gone wrong, before plunging her hands into the water and scrubbing at the cups with gusto, spilling some water onto her blouse.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about? Must have been important if you wouldn't say it in front of everyone else. Hold on,' Mai paused in her washing, and stared at him,' you're not firing me, are you?"

"Don't be stupid." Oliver rolled his eyes at her. "Who'll do all my filing?"

"Shut up." Mai huffed, handing him a cup to dry, and staring as he did so.

"What?"

"You are actually drying dishes. I must have fallen into an alternate universe where you are capable of doing things other than being insanely smart and boss everyone around."

Oliver stared at her, trying to keep his face blank enough to make her uncomfortable after a while. It seemed to have worked, for she started to squirm, before he relaxed.

"Luella didn't believe in laziness. Neither did Mei." He turned his attention back to the cup, trying to fit his hand into the miniscule cup to clean the inside, and steadfastly ignoring Mai's giggles as he gave up, and simply stuffed the tea-towel inside, twisting it around.

"What's Mei like? I know that she's Lin's sister, but other than that…"

Oliver hummed, and picked up another cup, pondering how he was going to tackle this one.

"She's…everybody's big sister. Always ready with a hug and a sympathetic ear, yet fiercely loyal, and she won't hesitate to punch you if you're being stupid. Or hide grass snake's in your bed if you insulted her."

There was another giggle, before Mai turned her attention back to the dishes.

"What did you want to talk to me about, anyway, now that we have safely decided that you _aren't_ firing me?"

Oliver almost dropped the cup he was drying as his palms inexplicably because clammy, and his fingers went numb as his stomach clenched.

' _There's nothing for it then. Into the Valley of Death.'_

"I was wondering…um…" He cursed internally as his nerve failed him once more, before he took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like to…do something this weekend?"

.

Mai dropped a tea cup back into the sink.

Slowly, she turned to look up at Oliver, eyes wide.

"Are you asking me on a date?" Oliver couldn't help himself, he blushed; a light dusting of pink across his cheeks, and he rubbed the back of his neck, draping the towel over his shoulder as he did so.

"Yes?"

.

Seconds later, when he had an armful of Mai and her lips were against his with her hands no doubt leaving damp spots on his shirt and the water cooling in the sink, he allowed himself to relax.

' _I must be doing something right, then.'_

.

.

* * *

.

"Hey, ah, Nollene? Can I…um…talk to you for a minute?"

Nollene glanced at Yasu's reflection in the mirror, catching Ayako's concerned gaze and shaking her head, before turning around, noting Lin's silent and near-unnoticed exit from the building as John sat down next to Madoka, both of them talking in quiet tones with Masako, no doubt about their case, while Monk and Ayako seemed to be arguing quietly, based off their short, sharp hand gestures and their tense body language. Finally, she locked gazes with Yasu.

"Yes?"

He seemed unsettled to be the full focus of her gaze, but ploughed on regardless.

"Soooo…Boss man said that if I wanted to ask you out, we needed to talk about something? Only, I'm not too sure what that something is, so…could you elaborate for me?"

Nollene froze, and shot a glare towards the kitchen where she'd last seen her brother disappear to, with his bubbly assistant, to have their own private chat, while her mind twisted and turned and the faint beginnings of nausea started to well up inside after her dratted mind started to O-so-helpfully bring up the _something_. But, in her heart, she knew that it was about time that both herself and Yasuhara sat down and had this talk, after months of dancing around each other, flirting and not-flirting and exchanging glances from across the room on occasion and trading barbs and innuendos to see whom would blush first.

She took a deep breath, and gestured towards Lin's office, somehow knowing that he wouldn't be back in today, so he wouldn't interrupt.

"Sure. Let's…" she paused, and gathered her resolve. "Let's have that talk, shall we? But you have to promise not to interrupt, and be completely honest with me."

She chanced a glance at his face, and blinked at the change. The quicksilver smile was gone, replaced by a solemn look. His eyes, normally sly and mildly mischievous, were sober, underlined with intense consideration of what they were about to do. She could have, in all actuality, kissed him when he next spoke.

.

"I promise."

.

.

* * *

.

The car park was deserted, and Koujo was thankful for that. It meant that no other people were visiting, and no other people would be inclined to come over and share their entire sob-story with him and expect sympathy. Yes, neither empathy nor sympathy was his forte.

"But it was yours." He whispered at the faintly weathered stone, tracing the name with gentle and tender fingers. "You were always the better of us, when it came to people. Always had the kind word, or the shoulder to cry on, or the sympathetic ear. Always the one people went to for advice."

His fingers were playing with the long strips of grass now; plucking then shredding in an absent yet methodical way. It had grown long; he hadn't been able to visit as often as he'd wanted, and the headstone now sported a thin layer of moss across the top.

"You put up with my rages, my frustrations at adjusting to a civilian life. You never complained when you found the knives under my pillow, or the ones I had sewn into my bag. You never judged me for anything, and encouraged me to do everything that I wanted." He laughed, a bitter sound that would have chilled the spines of anyone who heard it. But he only had the trees, the flowers, stone and the dead for company.

"Look how well that turned out. I was on the opposite side of the world when you were killed, and I never got to say a proper goodbye. I guess it was my fault for being selfish, for once. We had both given up so much, but you were the only one of us who was prepared, who _could_ give more. You stayed in Japan, and I went to England. You died, I existed. Because I'm not really living. I'm trying to, really, but…it's hard, when I've lost so many people. Hana died fairly recently, you know? I have joint guardianship of Ren with Ruka, of all people. Though I'm pretty sure I'm doing a shit job of that as well."

He leaned back on his hands and sighed, staring at the blue sky. It should have been overcast and cloudy, to match his mood. Instead, the sunny blue sky only served to make him more morose than he already was. How could something be that cheerful when his own light had been extinguished? Great, now he sounded pathetic.

"Cho and Rose are still missing, though Panther and Hawk are still tracking them, and for that, I'm thankful. If anyone is going to find the girls, it would be them. Madoka and Tajo are still together, but I think that Tajo may pop the question soon. He seems to be oddly elusive as of late, and Madoka's getting a bit frustrated with him. Matsuzaki and Takigawa made their relationship official; something about problems with her parents and not approving of Takigawa, which, personally, I think is stupid. We may not be close, but I can tell that he's a good man. Little Mai and Oliver are still dancing around each other, as are Nollene and Yasuhara, but they might get there eventually. Maybe even sometime this year, if we're lucky. John Brown is _that_ Brown kid, the one whose father did illegal experimentations on, but seems okay after his…impromptu possession by an angel during the case. Ms Hara is as unreadable as ever, but seems to be warming to Madoka a bit more."

He turned his gaze back to the headstone.

"Madoka wants me to try dating again; as if it wasn't bad enough the first time. Her argument was something along the lines of 'being caught up in the past' and 'it'll be good for you', but frankly, I don't see it happening anytime soon. I know that it's been a few years, but…it still hurts, to be honest. It's like someone reached into my chest and just ripped out my heart, and then proceeded to stamp all over it, before numbing my brain to not feel anything. You taught me that; the heart doesn't feel. When it comes to love the brain seals the deal."

The wind picked up, and tossed his hair into his face, carrying a cold edge on its fingers.

"Always something medical to say, even over the phone. You used to bitch about my weight as well, but I never minded. Usually because you were right, but mostly because I knew it was your way of showing that you cared."

If he closed his eyes, he could see her, sitting across from him and leaning on the headstone, a small smile twisting her lips and her eyes warm. She'd be wearing black jeans, despite the heat, and a leather jacket that once belonged to him, before she'd borrowed it and never given it back. She'd probably laugh at him for being so maudlin, and tell him to cheer up, before flicking his fringe and dodging his hands as he sought revenge. He could almost smell the scent of her perfume; orchids and juniper…

.

The slamming of a car door jolted him back into the real world, and he sat upright, eyes darting to the car park to see a van piled full of children rush out, followed by two adults, and start exploring the headstones. He sighed, but remained where he was, the shouting of the kids quickly becoming background noise.

"Look, I'm not asking for much. Just…be happy, wherever you are. And…know that I miss you, every day. Thanks for listening to my ramblings once more. Till I see you again, this life or the next."

He stood, brushing off his pants and picking up his jacket, before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a rather crumpled flower; a rose of the bloodiest red, edged in black, and placing it precisely in the middle of the grave, just in front of the headstone. He stared at the grave for a few long seconds, as if trying to memorize every detail, before he walked away, heading back towards the car park, slinging his jacket over his shoulders and fishing around for his keys. He ignored the stares from the other visitors as he went past, and nodded at the caretaker, who gave him a nod in return, before getting into his car, and driving back home. Ren had a guitar recital this evening, and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.

.

* * *

.

Hoshi watched the sad tall man walk away from the grave, and tilted her head, before moving towards the grave he'd just left, wondering who could have been buried there that would make him so sad. Her teachers had brought them here as an exercise in writing; they had to pick a name and make up a story for them to share with the rest of her class. The grave she was staring at was nothing special; simple grey stone, with few words written into the surface.

 _._

 _Tori Li_

 _30_ _th_ _July 1990- 22_ _nd_ _July 2010_

 _"The ones who love us never really leave us."_

\- _Sirius Black_

 _._

Hoshi did the maths (her teachers said that she was very good at it, for her age), and stared at the headstone in shock. This 'Tori' had died when she was 19, just shy of twenty. Their teachers had talked about children and adults getting sick and dying, and how the old people grew tired of life and simply went to sleep, but something told her that the woman lying here had been taken away from life suddenly, and well before her time. Suddenly, she knew exactly who she was going to write about.

' _Tragedy, and a love that transcends even death. A violent end, but hope on the horizon.'_ The wind whispered to her, and Hoshi smiled. It would be an epic story, of love from a young age, and dangerous exploits, before she was cruelly ripped away from her love in a gruesome and bloody battle. Her lover had never forgotten her, and visited her grave every day, doomed to die alone for he would never love another.

.

Grinning to herself, and hearing the wind whisper the names on the breeze, she sat down, pulled out her pen and notebook, and opened to a blank page, titling her story.

.

' _The epic tragedy of Koujo Lin and Tori Li, by Hoshi Nakamura.'_

.

.

.

 **Right, that took a shocking amount of time to write, I am deeply ashamed of myself. Please REVIEW, despite the lateness.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra.**


	16. House of Games

**Shockingly late, I know, but please Read and Review anyway.**

.

* * *

.

Alarms blared and sirens wailed while lights flashed red.

Bullets sliced through the air, and blood splattered the ground in intermittent splatters as Professor Ying bolted down the hallway, a hand pressed against her shoulder to stem the flow of blood from the current hole in her body. If she had been better, she would have had time to wipe the blood form the floor in order to avoid identification, but she had been sloppy; overconfident in her ability to remain unseen in most circumstances, and thus momentarily forgetting that this wasn't the regular run-of-the-mill bad guys, but their old rivals from way back when they were in China. And that meant that shit got personal. Fast.

She'd taken down three newbies in relatively quick succession, before she ran into her own old nemesis; Falcon. And lo and behold, age hadn't agreed with him. He was still a fucking bastard (because no matter what lies he spun, she knew that his mother was one of the dockside whores), who enjoyed trying to cop a feel every time they went to 'wrestle'. She'd knocked him flat, and that was when he pulled out the damn gun and shot her in the shoulder, leading to her current predicament.

Running down a hallway in a mental asylum trying to find her original entrance point which would hopefully serve as her exit point. While outrunning Falcon.

.

She swore when she turned the corner and collided with Kasumi, pulling her boss to her feet and dragging her towards their exit point, ignoring the snarl that emitted from her lips.

"What the fuck? Ying!"

"It was a fucking ambush!" Ying shouted over the sirens. "They were expecting us. I ran into Falcon and he's on my tail, so move it!"

Kasumi shook off her hand and drew ahead, accelerating when she turned the final corner and bounced off the wall, grabbing the rope attached to the skylight and hauling herself up, then turning and holding out her hand for Ying. Ying heard the heavy breathing of Falcon, rapidly approaching, and pushed her muscles harder, feeling the burn increase as she pushed off the wall and leapt for the rope, clenching her teeth as her shoulder protested the movement. Above her, Kasumi and the newbie (she always forgot his name) hauled on the rope and pulled her up, just as Falcon pushed off the wall. Ying drew her legs up to her chest, and kicked out, catching Falcon in the face and pushing him to the ground, while simultaneously thrusting herself upwards, using the momentum to clear the skylight for Kasumi to pull her aside, narrowly missing the storm of bullets that ricocheted off the casing.

"That was way to fucking close." Kasumi swore, pushing cotton aside to check the wound. Ying batted her hands away.

"We need to leave. Now."

Kasumi nodded, and collared Newbie, dragging him along with her as they sprinted across the rooftop, hearing the sounds of shouting below them and the rattle of guns as they fired at the trio.

An explosion rocked the roof, and Newbie lost his footing, nearly falling to his death if it weren't for Ying yanking on his shirt.

"Watch it!"

The sirens were giving her a constant headache, and the flashing lights kept playing in the corner of her eyes. The end of the roof was rapidly approaching, and Ying gritted her teeth, preparing for the jump into the copse of trees that led to the hole in the fence. Then she was leaping into the air, weightless, as bullets strafed the air and the distant echoes of screams reached her ears, before she landed in the trees.

.

Then she was shadows and darkness, slipping away into the night.

.

* * *

.

.

 _Nagoya Asylum_

.

The sign was old, rusting and the lettering was peeling paint that may have been black once, but was now a dull grey, adding to the gloomy atmosphere that the whole building seemed to emanate. John shuddered, and action that was echoed by Ayako and Masako, as they passed through the massive wrought iron gates, the high wire fences topped with barbed wire reminding him of the men's prison that he used to drive by on the way to church in Australia. He could hear a faint humming, and the rhythmic ' _tick_ ' every few seconds, his time in the Outback as a kid ingraining the sound in his mind, as well as the warning. _Electric. High Voltage. On._

"Great. Dead people." Ayako muttered beside him, directing her gaze at one of the broken windows on the fourth floor. Monk looked at her, frowning.

"But we always deal with dead people."

"Let me rephrase." Madoka interjected. " _Crazy_ dead people."

"Ah."

Their conversation wasn't making John feel any better. Or warmer. The entire place felt freezing and desolate, and if he, probably the most un-attuned spiritualist there, could feel it, then no doubt it was worse for everyone. Tajo, whom had joined them, was looking decidedly pale, and about three seconds from fainting or throwing up. Or both, John couldn't decide. In fact, he might join Tajo, because he was feeling distinctly ill…

{ _Relax}_

John swallowed, and sent a wave of his nerves in reply, and Briathos replied with a surge of warmth that made John feel vaguely tingly, and a little bit euphoric; a bit like that time when he was 14 and James Donnelly dared him to try some Shabz down the back of the school, behind the Phys. Ed shed, before the teachers caught them and they served detention for months and almost got expelled. Yes, that was exactly the feeling that he had now (Along with the Horrible Sinking Feeling that everything was about to go to Hell in a hand-basket filled with complementary jams and biscuits, similar to the We Are Doomed Feeling that occurred normally straight after the aforementioned feeling).

His…co-habitation of his body with an angel had been an interesting experience since he woke up, if only for the fact that Briathos _never shut up_ for the first few days, always finding it necessary to grumble about how it didn't look like that in his day and the depiction of angels was distinctly unfair, as not all of them had wings and most of them certainly did not have halos or those weird circle things floating around their heads all the time and really, which angel was moronic enough to pose as Michael, because Michael was clearly raven-haired and not a brunet. Then it was the 'I'm-an-angel-therefore-I-am-holier-than-thou' attitude when John was _trying_ to preach, complete with snide comments on his accent and his view on that particular sermon.

By Thursday, John was ready to commit deicide, because seriously? He must have done something awful in a past life or as a child (maybe it was punishment for falling asleep in Mass when he was a kid?) to deserve this fate. Having an angel inside his head was not all it was cracked up to be. He was sorely tempted to break his own rules in regards to contacting his family, just to ring his fath…Peter, and read him the riot act for inflicting _his own son_ with this special kind of insanity, and no, having 'unlimited power' at his fingertips was not a benefit, no matter what way you swung it. Having the incessant chatter of the angel (or demon, though the small part of John that still looked up to his dad liked to think that his father would never stoop so low) was a torture in itself, and _surely_ Peter had known the consequences, right?

.

John was jerked back to attention by a small, cold hand slipping into his, and squeezing hard enough to bruise his fingers as they entered the asylum, a reflexive shiver running across his shoulders and down his spine as the owner droned on and on, the monotone pitch of his voice heightening the tension in the air. The hand squeezed his again as they moved into the foyer, and Masako let out a strangled gasp, stopping in her tracks to stare at the long abandoned reception desk, and pale drastically, almost swooning in shock, taking another step closer to John. Madoka, who was leading this case (because Naru and Mai deserved time off, and Yasu and Nollene _finally_ got together), turned back towards them.

"Will you be alright?"

Masako nodded, and John (because he was a gentleman, underneath all the Australian-ness) gallantly offered her his arm to lean on (even though she was already holding his hand), and followed behind. Monk and Ayako were discussing something in hushed whispers too faint for John to make out, while Tajo and Lin were being scarily in sync and scanning the windows, walls and doors with a frightening intensity, Lin carrying his black duffle bag (John wondered if Lin ever left home without it, and if he had some holy water in there that he could use) and his laptop bag, while Tajo's right hand drifted across the pocket of his leather jacket to often to be a coincidence; a knife or a gun, then, or some other hand-held weapon.

{ _Your internal thought process is very amusing, and vastly different to that of my kin.}_

' _Shut up! I'm concentrating!'_

 _{If this is what human concentration looks like then I would hate to see what absent-mindedness is.}_

 _'Keep irritating me and you'll find out first hand.'_

"John?" Masako whispered, and John blinked.

"Sorry, can you please repeat that?" Masako gave him an amused look

"I asked if you sensed anything."

{ _Tell her that there is something blocking angelic powers.}_

John repeated what Briathos said, and Masako frowned (it was a very cute frown, he realised, ignoring the snickers from Briathos), before turning to follow after Madoka, carefully making her way up the stairs (John hated stairs on a case, normally because they were mostly there for people to fall down). John followed her, eyes scanning the foyer one last time, before turning away.

{ _Wait! The reception desk!}_

John continued to ascend the stairs, but paused at the top to 'examine' an ornate picture frame, using the reflection in the glass to stare at the reception desk, his blood chilling instantly. He saw what Masako might have gotten a glimpse of, but unfortunately for him, he could see it as clear as day.

Behind the desk, drifting through the chair and the lower desk at random intervals, hovered the black mist of a Lesser Demon, red eyes flickering around the foyer as if searching for something. Horrified, John could feel the blood draining from his face as the eyes slowing trailed up the stairs, before finally fixing upon him, merlot-red eyes inharmonious with his own sky blue. They stared at each other through the reflection, before both lurched into action; John bolting for the door where he'd last seen the SPR team, and the lesser demon screeching through the desk and up the stairs after him. John threw himself through the door and slammed it shut, ignoring the surprised looks of the rest of the team, and pressed the cross on his bracelet against the door, pulling out his spare vial of holy water from a small inside pocket in his jacket and uncorking it with his mouth. He tipped it so that water hit his finger but didn't fall to the floor, and traced a sigil on the door that was heavily in the Dark Grey side of things; not outright Black (the Enclave would have him killed if they found out), but not necessarily in the White (therefore the markings in everyday use that were deemed suitable by the Elders) either.

The door sealed shut in a burst of gold, Briathos discreetly pumping in some energy that John almost didn't catch it, and there was a high-pitched shriek of rage that had Lin and Tajo drawing knives, their current employer trembling in the corner gibbering something about demons and how the place was haunted (which was precisely the reason they came, wasn't it?) and wasn't worth the time an effort he was putting in. John slumped to the floor, and stared up at Madoka, giving her a sheepish grin.

.

"I think they know that we're here."

.

* * *

.

.

Tajo had seen many things over his rather short life-span (he was nearing 27, almost 30, wasn't that scary? He hadn't expected to make it to 15 when he was a kid), but seeing the Australian (John, his brain reminded him, he's called John) slam the door shut and draw something that should have gotten him reported under normal circumstances to shut out a demon impressed him. The kid was barely 20 (well, he looked it. Couldn't be older than 25, anyway) and already he knew some serious warding schemes. He spent years trying to hone his own skills, since he was a child, and either John had done the same, or he was naturally gifted.

 _Like Tori._

He shook his head, banishing that thought to the deep recesses of his mind. This was the first time in six years that he was on a case, of sorts (last time they were hunting demons, he didn't think that it qualified as a case), and he couldn't afford to get distracted. Ergo, no distracting thoughts about his long dead sister or anything that was remotely related. Which meant…most of his paranormal knowledge, and how to interact with Koujo. Ugh, never mind.

Truly, he enjoyed the flabbergasted look that was currently adorning Madoka's face as she stared at John disbelievingly; eyes flicking from the guileless expression the Australian was now sporting, to the glowing sigil, then back to his face. It was rare that his partner was shocked into silence (read; never), so it was a welcome distraction from the current situation, in which his PK was _screaming_ at him to _get the hell out of here ASAP_. There were tingles that started at the base of his neck and travelled down his spine and back up; a dull buzz in the back of his mind that was screaming _"Danger! Danger! Flee!"_ Last time this had happened, a demon had broken into Outcasts and killed Mrs Taniyama as well as Amaya, and narrowly missed killing Mai as well.

So yes, he was a bit on edge.

.

"THE HELL?" Yep, and there was the famous Mori explosion of I Don't Understand What Is Going On. Unbelievably, John offered her a youthful grin, white teeth flashing.

"Yes, I believe that's where they usually come from. Well, I'm assuming. No one has told me otherwise."

There was a choking sound to Tajo's left as Koujo and Takigawa both stifled laughter, Tajo himself refusing to make eye contact with either of them knowing that once he did, he would actually start laughing, and thus bring Madoka's ire down upon himself for not taking this seriously. He was thankful that their current employer wasn't in the room; it would have been dreadfully unprofessional of them to let him witness one of Madoka's rages.

"Be serious. You two as well!" Madoka snapped, turning her gaze onto the two laughing men, Matsuzaki standing next to them with her hand over her eyes and clearly pretending that she was elsewhere at this time. Or refraining from hitting her…boyfriend? He didn't really know; the social complexities of this group were confusing and very unclear, barring that of the one between Mai and that Davis kid, and of course Madoka and Koujo.

"I am." John dropped the smile, and stared at the 'leader' evenly. "They know we're here. Masako caught a glimpse, Dr Li looked like he was going to throw up as soon as he stepped in the door, although that may be contributed to Monk's driving…"

"Hey!"

"…Lin was on edge, and Ayako looked pale. You yourself were twitchy, and I felt the aura clearly, even though I don't technically count as a spiritualist. Ergo, they knew we were coming, and tailored their response in order to psych us out; to convince us to leave early. Something is blocking angelic interference, according to the voice inside my head, so they were forewarned about who exactly was coming."

"You think it's a trap." Madoka narrowed her eyes. John rolled his eyes, but it was Takigawa who answered.

"We'd be fools not to. There were markings all over the place, and the guy in charge told us that the eastern and southern wings were off limits."

"Not to mention the lack of live trees. This place has been dead for years; not just trees but it clearly hasn't been used in its medical capacity for decades. It's only recently been opened; my guess about two years." Matsuzaki contributed. Tajo frowned, and pulled out his phone, an idea occurring to him, zoning out of the conversation as he searched for the answer.

"It closed down due to malpractice." Tajo added after a few minutes, trying not to flinch at sudden attention as he interrupted speculation. He kept his eyes on the article he had found. "Too many inmates were dying within days of each other, so they quarantined it, thinking it was a new disease. But when there were no deaths of nurses or doctors being reported, police were sent to investigate. The scientists stationed here were using the inmates as human experiments to test new cures, more often than not fatally poisoning them, and then covering it up to look like self-harm or in-fighting. Government shut it down, and it was bought by our current employer four years ago, hoping to turn it into a boarding school, although the idea was vetoed, due to its rather…bloody history. Of the sixty thousand deaths recorded here, roughly thirty thousand occurred over the space of two to three years, all of various reasons, but all linking back to the human trials. The rest of the inmates were dispersed among other asylums, and those deemed too dangerous to move were…terminated via lethal injection."

He looked up, and flushed slightly at the incredulous gazes, taking the opportunity of the silence to examine the varying auras of the members of his team. Committing them to memory. There was, of course, Koujo's blindingly white aura which _still_ hurt to look at, Matsuzaki's juniper green, Takigawa's mahogany red, Madoka's silver (with the slight anomaly around her shoulders, as always), John's sky blue that was the same shade as his eyes, and Ms Hara's an odd shade of purple that reminded him somewhat of heather, streaked through with the typical white-gold that indicated a medium. It was a very pretty mix of colours, and he found it somewhat soothing after the oily feel of a lesser demon's aura. Ugh, they always made his skin crawl.

"Those terminated…" Matsuzaki questioned slowly, '…what were they diagnosed with? Is that in the records?"

"Half a mo." Tajo requested, snagging Koujo's laptop and opening it, pausing as he encountered the password. He raised an eyebrow, and typed in his sister's name (first letter caps) followed by Koujo's student ID number from high school, then the first 13 digits of pi.

It unlocked.

Koujo was so predictable.

WiFi was already connected, and there were about six different programs running, but not the one he needed.

"I find it odd that they would…terminate so many people in one go." Ms Hara mused. "Yet I can only sense a few spirits that are slightly chaotic in nature, instead of the thousands that Li-hasake is suggesting."

"Tajo." He corrected absently, scrolling through the documents as fast as he could. "Li-hasake is my sister." He paused as the familiar pangs twinged through his chest, then corrected himself quietly. " _Was_ my sister."

"Perhaps the nature of their…ailments affected their deaths, somehow. Lethal injection, I'm told, is like going to sleep, so maybe it didn't register for them, or it happened while they were asleep." Takigawa put in.

"How do you…"

"Mai told me."

"Ah."

"It's entirely possible,' Madoka mused, 'but wouldn't the ones left behind have figured it out? Or, possibly, have moved on as well?"

"Perhaps, like Monk said, their ailments affected them somehow, and they aren't able to comprehend what happened." Matsuzaki threw in.

"It seems the most likely explanation we have." John agreed, standing up and pocketing his holy water.

"Here we are." Tajo interrupted again, scrolling down the list of terminated patients. "It ranged from severe schizophrenia to life-threatening obsessive-compulsive disorder and extreme-near-psychopathic bipolar disorder. One even…" he paused, and could feel the blood drain from his face.

"What?" Madoka pressed. Tajo looked up.

"One even killed 60 inmates before being committed to solitary confinement. The reason for it was because one of them had commented on his _hair._ Psychopathic bipolar."

"Shit." Matsuzaki breathed.

"I doubt that's what the rest said." Takigawa muttered under his breath.

"I certainly hope he's not around still." Madoka swallowed. "We would probably have to pull out otherwise and tell this guy to burn it to the ground if we find out otherwise. I'm not risking our lives, no matter how good the pay is."

"Could've been the lesser demon downstairs." John casually mentioned, causing everyone to shudder.

"Shut up, John." Takigawa muttered. "I don't want to think about it."

"Koujo? A little silent over there, dragon-boy. Anything to contribute?" Tajo directed at his best friend (and possibly, his best man, once he asked Madoka to marry him, which would be soonish), and refused to flinch at the condescending eyebrow thrown his way.

"Dragon-boy? Really?"

"Shut up. You can't deny it, and it's better than Alpha Stigma, now spill. What's got you so worked up?"

Koujo was silent for a time, leaning against the wall and staring at the painting opposite him, eyes vacant, before they snapped back into focus and narrowed at the portrait of one of the directors. Standing up straight, he spoke in a low murmur.

"We're being watched."

.

.

As if on cue, the windows rattled, and the lights flickered, before going out. The oily feeling of a lesser demons aura crept over Tajo's shoulders before oozing down his back and seeping into his skin, and his breath stuttered against his will. A hand grabbed his shoulder; not familiar, but the aura next to his he could identify as Ms Hara's, she had been closer to him. He moved a hand up to cover hers, his other deep in his pocket, fingers wrapping around the knife handle that rested inside the lining of his jacket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. There was a strangled gasp to his left, and the quiet muttering of Takigawa reciting his mantra under his breath. Madoka was across the room, aura flickering, and Koujo…wasn't by the wall, in fact, he seemed to be kneeling in the centre of the room.

' _What the actual hell did he think he was doing?'_

Tajo got his answer, as soon as shrieks and long, drawn out screams split the air, and the building rumbled underfoot. The hand on his shoulder clenched tighter, and Tajo could feel fingernails digging into his joint, becoming more and more pronounced with every second. He could see John by the door still, aura flickering as he moved his arm, streaks of iridescence weaving through the normal blue and getting brighter.

Then Koujo's aura exploded into a supernova, and Tajo was forced to shield his eyes, least he be permanently blinded instead of temporarily. The blast cleared the oily aura, and he could feel other demons that were within the immediate vicinity retreating to the southern side of the asylum. When he dared to open his eyes, immediately blinking spots out of them from the lights that were suddenly working again, he stared at the centre of the floor, and at the character that was burned into the carpet. The slightly illegal character burned into carpet that wasn't theirs.

Take the boy out of the streets…..

.

"I can't decide whether you're a genius or stupid." He finally commented, once he had regained control of his tongue. Ms Hara, next to him, let go of his shoulder and sat down on the couch next to him, breathing irregular and erratic. Tajo wordlessly squeezed her shoulder, taking the opportunity to pulse some of his PK into her to calm her down, and stood up, placing Koujo's laptop on his seat.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Madoka sniped at Koujo, and Tajo sighed.

"Madoka, leave it."

"Tajo…"

"Leave. It." He shot her down, using his Dr Li voice that caused her to drop the subject with an unhappy look on her face. Tajo turned to Koujo, and fixed him with his best glare. To his credit, the ex-ring fighter didn't flinch, instead matched it with a cool look of indifference. Tajo felt his fuse starting to ignite, and took a deep breath.

"Since when did you start dealing in Dark Arts?"

"When did you?" Koujo shot back, standing up to be of equal eye level. "You wouldn't have recognised it otherwise."

"We are not discussing me, Koujo Lin, we are discussing you."

"I fail to see how it's any of your business. You never had a problem with it before."

"I'm making it my business, damn it." Tajo took a few steps forward, until he was in Koujo's personal space. "Because I've already lost most of my friends, and I don't intend to lose my best friend since we were kids to some deranged idea that the Dark Arts are helpful in some way. So answer the fucking question."

Oh yes, the fuse was truly lit now. He vaguely felt the others backing away slightly from the two men, as well as Koujo's own temper, which was normally held tightly in check, starting to fray.

"Perhaps I won't."

Tajo growled low in his throat (he'd later be mortified at the lack of control he'd displayed, and spend 3 hours meditating in order to patch his mental shields up to stop it happening again), and his eyes narrowed to slits. He wasn't as tall as Koujo, but he'd be damned if he let that get in his way now.

"Answer. The. Fucking. Question. Lin."

Koujo stared evenly at him, looking him deep in the eye, before his voice snapped like a whip, and totally shattered his world.

"Since I found a few of Tori's books that were missing from her room on a case."

.

Tajo reeled back, eyes wide. He scanned Koujo's face for a sign, any sign that he was lying, and found none, and that hurt worse than his link to his twin severing when she'd died. Koujo was many things, but he'd never lied to his friends. Kept secrets and told half-truths, but never outright lied.

"She was…" he trailed off, unable to complete the sentence. Koujo nodded, and crooked his fingers, a red book flying out of his bag, presumably one of his shiki getting it.

"Hey, isn't that the book from the…"

"Hush, Houshou."

"Open it." Koujo handed it to Tajo, face blank. Tajo's hands shook as he opened it to the first page, eyes immediately going to the inside of the cover, where they'd always written their names. There, in his dead sister's elegant cursive, was her full name and her address; first at Outcasts, then at Medical School.

"My God." He whispered. He looked up at Koujo.

"She had this when…?"

"It's possible."

"Then why do you still have it?" Tajo hissed, snapping the book shut and glaring at his friend. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Takigawa reach for something, while John had some sort of green liquid in his hand, ready to throw it. "You're supposed to be the light side, remember? Whatever happened to the balance?"

"What are they talking about, Madoka?" Ms Hara asked.

"No idea."

.

"I am being the balance." Koujo uttered lowly. "I am being both dark and light. Yin and Yang. Sun and Moon. There is no shadow without light, and there is no light without shadow. Everyone has a little bit of darkness in them, Tajo. I'm merely…expanding on mine."

"And this is being balanced how?" Tajo growled, and Koujo leaned forward, placing his lips next to his ear.

"Because, Tajo,' he whispered, switching to Korean for a little more privacy, 'too much light will burn eventually. And I'd rather that didn't happen. Clear?"

Tajo nodded, mouth in a thin line.

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it. You merely have to put up with it. I trust you can punch me in the face if I get too obsessed?"

"You can count on it. I'll enjoy it to."

"Good." Koujo pulled back, and switched back to Japanese. "Now that we've finished washing the decks with testosterone, how about we concentrate on the task at hand, and deal with this later?"

"I concur. But remember, dragon-boy,' Tajo grinned at him, although it didn't reach his eyes and felt far to plastic, 'with great power comes great responsibility."

Koujo nodded, and both turned back to their unwilling audience, apologizing, although Tajo watched Koujo carefully, noting down any irregularities in his actions, and giving his friend a silent promise when their eyes met for a brief moment.

.

' _If you fuck it up, I don't care how many years we've been friends and that you dated my twin sister; I will kill you.'_

 _._

 _'I wouldn't expect anything less.'_

 _._

 _._

 **Wow. That took ages, and turned into a monster as well. Read and Review please!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra.**


	17. The Adventures of Houshou Takigawa

**Well, this was a long time coming. I do not own Ghost Hunt (not even the paperbacks, *sniff*), but I do own my cast of OC's, so hands off.**

 **Read, Review (let me know that you're alive), Please? With a shirtless Gene on top?**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

* * *

.

Chapter 17- The Adventures of Houshou Takigawa

.

.

Houshou examined the faded art on the wall, _Vajra_ clutched tightly in his hand, beads threaded through his fingers, just in case. Beside him, Dr…Tajo scanned the corridor, flashlight flickering against the gloom, a strange curved knife in his other hand that had inset symbols that made no sense to him. The artwork itself was a rather gruesome depiction of a man screaming while being branded; not the type of art work that would normally be in someone's office, unless they were a psychopath. Although, judging by the manacles that Tajo had just pulled out of a filing cabinet (and hadn't that been _locked?_ ), it seemed that the past residents were just slightly on the wrong side of the line between morals and insanity.

A dry retching sound brought his attention back from his musings, and he turned to see Tajo with his eyes shut, face decidedly pale and leaning against the cabinet with a hand over his mouth.

"Tajo?"

"I need a shower." Houshou frowned at the odd response, and Tajo waved his spare hand at the open drawer in a clear message of 'see for yourself'. Houshou approached the drawer, peeked inside, and promptly turned green, resisting the urge to vomit himself.

"How…?"

"It not legal." Tajo answered. "If they hadn't been shut down for malpractice, this would have gotten them imprisoned for years, maybe life. It sickens me." Houshou frowned, before a thought occurred to him; something Ayako had muttered constantly during one of her rants against idiots.

"Do no harm."

"Damn straight. I've seen a lot of horrific things, Takigawa. ER, IC, First Response, cancer patients, amputees, gang fighters, ring fighters…hell, when I was younger I used to put some of them in hospital myself. But this? Still the worst thing I have, or will ever see. Abuse victims are never alright afterwards, no matter what they say."

"Lets…" Houshou trailed off, unable to articulate what he was trying to say, and moved towards the door, Tajo following and shutting the door behind them.

"I feel sick." Tajo announced. "And for once, it's not PK related. It's a strange feeling." Houshou snorted, and started back down the corridor, frowning at the dust-ridden curtains over the grimy windows, and the strange organisms that seemed to be growing from the damp corners on the ceiling.

"In this type of place? You'll probably catch something deadly and obscure and incurable, then have to live out your life in isolation in fear of it being contagious."

Tajo glanced at him askance, before shaking his head with a wry grin.

"I can see why Dr Matsuzaki likes you."

"Huh?" Houshou stopped, and Tajo continued for a few moments, before stopping when he realized that Houshou was no longer following him.

"Dr Matsuzaki? You know, red haired, about 5'9, wears heels and likes to hit people with her purse?"

Monk rolled his eyes. "I know who she is, but what do you mean, likes me?"

It was Tajo's turn to roll his eyes, and he continued down the corridor, Monk hurrying to catch up.

"Ayako Matsuzaki was my sister's roommate in med-school, so it was only inevitable that I met her at some point. Always driven, striving harder than most. She and Tori liked to compete for top spot, but they studied together, so it was friendly competition. This really didn't do either of them any favours in terms of the dating department, not that Tori was interested in dating at the time, considering that her and Koujo…" he trailed off, before shaking his head, and sending Monk a bittersweet smile. "Not many men like women who are smarter than them, but you…have a different sort of intelligence to what Matsuzaki is used to. That's why she likes you. That, and your sense of humour."

Monk frowned, mentally sorting through the overload of information, before settling on a "Thanks? I think?"

Tajo grinned at him, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Fret not. You'll understand eventually."

"I thought men could never understand women anyway."

"Touché, Takigawa, touché."

Tajo turned right down another corridor and opened up the first door on the left, shining his light into the decrepit room, before entering slowly, knife at the ready. A muffled sneeze, then a ' _clear'_ sounded, and Houshou followed him in, sneezing as well when all the dust rose up underneath his feet.

"They should fire their cleaner." He remarked, and Tajo started to snigger, muffling the sound behind his mouth, before a coughing fit wracked his body, and he muttered ' _damn bunnies'_ under his breath.

"That's a mild understatement." He finally wheezed out, "Lord I hate dust. Always makes me sneeze."

"And yet, you're a doctor."

"Hospitals have to be clean." Tajo examined a bookshelf, and narrowed his eyes at a few of the books. "Problem solved. No dust, no sneezing, no infected equipment. These books…"

He trailed off, and Houshou looked up from where he was trying open the drawer to see Tajo pick one off the shelf and eye the cover as if it were a rabid beast about to devour him. Houshou stepped up next to him, and looked at the cover.

"It's not Japanese." He pointed out, feeling rather stupid. He'd taken ESOL at school, not Korean or Chinese.

"No, it's not. It's Korean." Tajo looked at him. "It's also a highly-illegal book, banned in twelve countries and frowned upon in another twenty. As to who owned it…" Tajo opened up the book, and Houshou had a horrible sinking feeling that it was one of _those_ books that Madoka and Lin had been talking about on a case so long ago…

.

Tajo dropped the book.

.

Houshou picked it up, and read the name on the front cover, suspicions confirmed with each cursive letter that spelt out the damning name.

' _Tori Daiyu Li.'_

.

"It appears…" Tajo began haltingly, "…that I owe Koujo an apology of sorts." Monk raised an eyebrow, and Tajo shot him a look. "What? We argue all the time. It's not that uncommon."

"Does it normally get that…intense, though? I thought you were going to punch him."

"Ah…"Tajo shrugged, and took the book off him, stowing it in an inside pocket, "Not normally, no. If we ever feel like we're going to end up hitting each other, one of us will normally walk away. Most of it is name calling at any rate."

Monk rolled his eyes, and went back to examining the desk, to see if there were any clues; files on patients, secret lair plans, that sort of thing.

"Dragon-boy?"

"Yes, after his shiki, Tatsuo. The dragon-demon. There is another reason, but I'm not allowed to tell you. Sworn to secrecy and all that."

"Uh huh." Monk narrowed his eyes at the lock on one of the drawers, and poked it with his _Vajra_ , relaxing when it didn't explode in his face. There were little marks around it, as if someone had already tried to open the drawer with a knife, but failed. Come to think of it, the markings on the actual lock looked kind of like the ones he'd seen on his grandfather's study, except these were on the lock and not around the door…

"And the Alpha Stigma comment? What the hell is an Alpha Stigma anyway?"

"Oh, that?" Tajo's voice came from the other side of the room now, muffled by the filing cabinet that he was examining. "It's an anime series, 'Legend of the Legendary Heroes'. The Alpha Stigma can see magic performed and then copy it exactly, but they're recognisable by the…symbol, of you will, in their eye if they use that power. Kind of a giveaway and highly irritating, if you ask me."

Monk traced his fingers above the markings, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen (it worked, barely) and copying them down, before writing the ones around his grandfather's study for comparison, frowning at the similarities in terms of triggers, and the ones he didn't recognise. There was one for fire (that had hurt when he'd accidentally brushed up against the door while eavesdropping), but it was tied to one he didn't recognise, so it was out of context…

"You didn't finish answering my question. Why did you call him that?"

"Oh, it's because of his…hell that hurt...eye. The one underneath his fringe? I would have thought he'd have told you about it by now. You've been working together for what, 2 years? 3?"

"Closer to three, why?"

Monk looked up, and witnessed the rather humorous sight of Tajo hanging halfway in the filing cabinet, feet off the floor and hand clutching the side for balance. A muffled oath came from inside, echoing slightly due to the metal sides of the cabinet, before he pulled himself up, muttering and rubbing his nose, before sneezing again.

"His eye? Electromagnetic vision. Pretty useful, but he's a bit shy about telling anyone about it. It had some…side effects on his iris. Also, there's the whole 'Lin Clan Elemental' theory why may or may not be true. I'm not entirely sure myself; I haven't met his sister to confirm it though, so that might be a part of the reason."

Monk knew he looked stupid; eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"Elemental? Like, 'Last Airbender' type elemental? I thought they were just myths."

Tajo frowned at him.

"You've heard about elementals?"

"Very vaguely. The normal stuff that floats around in the dregs of the business; whispers of a man setting a demon on fire with nothing but his hands, a girl pulling a kid out of the water without diving in, a woman turning herself to stone to shield someone from a bullet. That sort of stuff."

Tajo tilted his head.

"Fascinating."

"Then of course,' Monk continued, 'there was that case in the warehouse with the Fear demon thing. Lin lost his temper, went outside and boom; one centralized hurricane streaked through with gold in the parking lot. Fun times. Of course, if I'd just had my entire past aired to everyone, I probably wouldn't be too happy either."

Tajo gaped at him.

"You found out about…"

"It wasn't pretty, but yes, we did. Mutual consensus not to mention any of it to anyone who didn't already know."

Tajo shook his head, and glanced over at the papers that Houshou had in front of him.

"What are those?"

"Locks. I'm trying to decipher this one,' he tapped the drawer lock array, 'by comparing it to the ones on my grandfather's study. But I don't recognise some of them."

"Hm." Tajo leaned over his shoulder, and shook his head.

"Some of them are familiar, but I'd have to reference them. Can you give me a hand with the cabinet? Somethings off about it."

Monk straightened, and moved over to the metal monolith, eyeing the massive drawers distrustfully. Tajo was right, something was off about them. It wasn't just their size (because seriously, who needs drawers that big), but the way they were placed; not in the corner, but just behind the door, with lots of space either side. There was a slight indent in the carpet where something had rested for a long time, and an old box full of files on top.

"What does the inside look like?" he asked, and Tajo opened the bottom drawer, showing it to be empty of anything except dust and a yellowing piece of paper. Houshou crouched down, and shone his flashlight at the back, frowning.

"Next drawer, but leave this one open." Tajo opened the next one, and Houshou moved out of the way, a niggling sense of wrongness eating away at the base of his skull. The next drawer was empty as well; clearly the police had cleared this one out when they had shut it down. He shone the flashlight at the back, and moved closer, eyes catching a small piece of metal that stuck out from the back that made no sense to the overall design.

"Last drawer." Tajo murmured, and heaved it open, hands dropping to his sides as they stared at the ladder built in to the back of the cabinet. They looked at each other, then back at the ladder.

"I call dibs on going second." Tajo claimed.

He swore.

.

.

The ladder was ancient, and Tajo was sure he was going to slip and die, and probably take Takigawa with him. It stunk as well, or maybe that was the whole place in general; the nauseating scent of rotting flesh permeated the air and made it hard to breathe.

"What died?" Takigawa muttered below him, and Tajo shuddered as visions flashed across his eyes in rapid succession, before he clamped down on his PK and brought it back under control.

"You don't want me to answer that."

"Right."

They continued down, and Tajo wondered idly if they were in a basement of some kind, or a really twisted ventilation system, when Takigawa cursed, and a clanging sound echoed down the shaft, Tajo freezing in place as a bolt of fear jolted through him.

"Watch you step, three rungs down from your left foot. It just snapped."

"Copy that." Tajo replied, a hint of a waver in his voice. Lord, he'd forgotten how much he'd hated ladders in general; ever since he'd fallen off one before he'd moved to Japan, he'd hated the blasted things. Now, he was climbing down one infested with rusted metal and in a house swarming with demons just itching to get their hands on him to feast on his soul. His foot found the gap, and for a brief moment, he froze, clamping down on the panic that reared it's grotesque face and surged through his veins, his grip tightening on the rungs so hard that his knuckles turned white. He hadn't realised that Takigawa had stopped, until his voice echoed up towards him.

"You alright, Li?"

"Yeah." Tajo managed to get out, no trace of a quaver in his voice, for which he was thankful. "I'm fine. Let's just keep moving."

"No argument from…" Takigawa cut off suddenly, and Tajo risked twisting to look down, Takigawa's face a few meters below, staring up at him. "I've found the bottom. I think."

"Good to know." This time, there was a slight tremor in his voice, and Tajo was mildly ashamed to hear it, until something took his mind of such matters; the unmistakable sound of someone screaming, pleading, begging for mercy, and the harsh laughter of the tormentors thriving on their twisted pleasure. Metal creaked and groaned underneath his fingers, and his eyes shut tight, trying to block out the sounds of pain, his PK lashing and writhing behind his shields in protest. A hand gripped his ankle, and tugged on it, guiding his shaking form down until he was leaning against a wall, struggling to breathe in between the whip lashes and the burns, the screams echoing though his mind and shredding at his eardrums. His hands formed fists in his hair, and he choked on a scream, blood trickling out of his nose.

Then there was red; a warm red, that reminded him of the mahogany table that sat in the kitchen of Outcasts, when times were golden and it shone with a myriad of different colours in the summer sun, soaking up laughter and smiles. The red pulsed around him, and the screams diminished. There was a hand on his back (not whips, never whips in that hand) and a low voice calling his name, worried (he was fine, wasn't he) and bit by bit he became aware of the cold metal at his back, the hard concrete underneath him, and the cotton shirt he was clutching in his hands like a lifeline, the faint scent of dry ice and metal piercing through his senses.

"…breathe, Tajo, just breathe…dear God don't pass out on me, because there's no way in hell I'll be able to carry you back up that ladder…in, out, in, out…"

Tajo wheezed, and stared up at Takigawa, eyes blurry.

"Takigawa?" The Buddhist Monk sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, good. For a second there I thought you were going to black out on me."

"Nearly…did." Tajo coughed, and leaned his head back, releasing Takigawa's shirt with an embarrassed flush. "Sorry about…"

"Don't mention it." Takigawa stood up, and shone his torch into the space, Tajo noting the operating table, the dusty cupboards and the neat pile of notes on a side table, before his gaze trailed to a small room with a rather impressive locking system that would make it impossible to get out from the inside…

.  
And the lesser demon licking its lips on top of the medicine shelf, red eyes glowing in feral glee, while a lower demon grinned from underneath the bench, white fangs flashing in the torchlight.

.

.

* * *

.

Ayako scanned the medical records of the terminated patients, noting down possible spirits that may have stayed on out of confusion or deliberate intent, the steady clicking of Lin's keyboard as he surveyed the monitors a soothing background noise. She'd found these files during a sweep on the second floor, in what seemed to be the main office of sorts, while Lin had set up cameras in the area. It was most odd that they would all still be there, but perhaps the police dismissed them as unimportant for some unknown reason.

She'd just noted down one that seemed particularly volatile on paper (and that said volumes for what it was most likely now) when a chill invaded the room, and gooseflesh rose on her arms, despite there not being a breeze. Breathing, two sets, louder than either herself or Lin's, sounded from right behind her, and hot breath ghosted across her neck and lifted the strands of her hair. She knew instinctively that she must not turn around, no matter what.

"Koujo." She uttered, gaining the Chinese man's attention with that one word, because she'd never called him anything but Lin before (but desperate times called for desperate circumstances), and he froze, one hand drifting down to his jacket pocket slowly, so as to not raise any alarm.

"Do you trust me?" Was his reply, and Ayako thought back to all the times on cases when he'd protected them, taken first watch so that they could all get sleep, taken care of Mai, taken the fall for them with Konju, risked his life with an Upper Demon, and told them the truth behind Mai's past.

"Yes." She said, and, for perhaps the second time in her life, she actually meant it.

.

Silver spun towards her, and she shut her eyes.

.

.

* * *

.

Madoka sat in the small staffroom, stirring a cup of tea with a thoughtful expression on her face. As ever, her mind drifted to Tajo, and she wondered how he was getting on with Monk. She had deliberately paired them with each other, stating that they needed to work with others, but also knowing that their respective talents in the field would complement each other. John and Masako she was loathe to split up, as John had more of an attack method than anyone else (excluding Lin, but he was needed in base), while Masako had a small talent in self-defence, which would serve her well in this environment. How well it would serve her would remain to be seen, but Madoka had high hopes for the young medium. Ayako, although talented, needed to work her own brand of defence to the base, so that they had a safe place to sleep tonight (it had been mutual consensus to decline the rooms down the hall, further splitting them up).

The steam from her tea drifted up into her face, calming her with the scent of lavender and chamomile and pushing her baser nature to the side. She normally needed this type of tea on a case, but the time of year that she took it in was inconvenient; she was always more…energetic in spring, and that tended to knock her control off kilter sometimes. It wouldn't do to accidentally reveal herself to the others just yet (it would be an awkward conversation, for sure), and have her past aired like wet laundry (*cough* _Lin_ *cough*).

The seat across from her was no longer empty, and Madoka stirred her tea once more, silver eyes meeting red through the steam, and she gave the Upper demon a bland smile, curbing her inner bloodlust and violence for the time being.

.

"Tea?"

.

* * *

.

Masako walked closer to John than was strictly necessary, but the third floor was giving her a strange 'vibe', and it made her feel uneasy. The paintings seemed to follow them with their gazes, and there was a malicious intensity towards both of them that had her jumping inwardly at shadows. John was focused in a way that she'd never seen before; he moved silently, and he clutched a vial of holy water in his hand, primed to throw, while the other held the torch which, for some reason, had an extra button on the side of it. She would be denying herself if she didn't, deep down, find it attractive, but she squashed it down and focused on the task at hand, grasping a bladed fan inside a concealed pocket in her kimono, while her own torch sliced through the gloom, and passed over obscure pieces of art, creepy paintings, eyes, tables and vases filled with dying flowers.

She stopped, and swung her torch as the eyes registered in her mind, and there was a muttered prayer from John as he saw something else. She chanced a glance, and swallowed heavily as she spotted another pair of eyes attached to a leonine face that snarled, before leaping.

Gritting her teeth, she snapped open her fan and spun it in a tight arc as her own assailant leapt towards her, catching it across the face and cutting open its rat-like features. Acidic blood splashed across her face and she said a word that she'd learnt from Yasu during one of his spectacular rants. Now it was flanking her, or trying to, and she narrowed her eyes, meeting its own cherry red with her own granite, before it hissed at her, and charged. She spun out of the way and brought her blade down upon the back of its skull. She watched it squirm, and she shut her eyes, resisting the urge to vomit as it went through its death throes. She turned to John, and saw him wiping a rather large knife on the corpse of his own enemy (and how did he get _that_ through airport security).

"What were they?" She whispered, seeing the mishmash of different animal parts and some in abnormally bright colours, the blood on her face starting to sting painfully. She wiped her sleeve over her eyes, getting most of it off.

Then there were hands around her neck, and black spots dancing around her vision. Her torch clattered to the floor along with her fan, and there was a low, wicked chuckle that made her feel dirty and unclean, and John's eyes were swirling black and red, no trace of the beautiful sky blue, his mouth twisted into a cruel smile. She clawed at his fingers, feet kicking in empty air, before her back was slammed against a wall, and she gasped.

' _I'm not going to die! Not like this!'_

She kicked her feet up, landing a blow to John's sternum, while her hands came down, around and up, smashing onto John's forearms with precision drilled into her. She slid down the wall while John fell backwards, coughing, before she pushed herself to her feet, glad that she'd worn the kimono with the hidden zips down the sides and her leggings underneath as John stood also, and snarled at her, the expression not fitting his face at all (and she found that she hated it beyond all reckoning).

He lunged towards her, fingers curled like claws. She bent low, flipping him over her shoulder with his own momentum, before straddling him and restraining his arms. One broke free of her hold, and she cried out as a fist connected with her eye, and he pushed her off, her back colliding with a table. Her hands reached behind her, scrabbling for something, anything, as another fist collected her mouth, splitting her top lip and causing reflex tears to spring towards her eyes, before his hands closed around her neck once again, and _squeezed._ With a choked cry, she grab the nearest object and brought it around to smash against his head. John's body crumpled to the ground in a mess of blonde hair and blood, the remains of a porcelain vase scattered around the floor, Masako's own hands cut and bleeding from where it shattered in her hands.

She slumped, before bending down to pick up her torch, the beam steady in the darkness, highlighting John's still body, and the corpses of…whatever they were. She sighed, and glanced down at her ruined kimono, before unzipping it and ripping a long piece off, tying John's hands and feet together tightly, so that he couldn't escape, before collecting her fan and his knife, and tucking them in her _obi_ to carry.

.

"Sorry about this, John." She muttered, hooking their arms and starting to drag him back to base, eyes drifting to the tremendous bruise forming on the side of his face. "But I think, given the circumstances, you'll forgive me."

.

.

.

.

 **There we go, all done, waiting for the next chapter. This was a monster to write, in terms of motivation and lack of inspiration, but at least I got it out there. Read and review, please.**

 **Feed the box.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	18. Haunted House Rock

**There, it's early. Please Read, Review, etc, etc.**

 **Enjoy!**

.

Chapter 18- Haunted-House Rock

.

* * *

.

Hours of training and practise ensured that the knife flew true, a second one following it seconds later, the unmistakeable sound of a body hitting the floor, the vibrations ringing underfoot.

.

* * *

.

They tackled the more powerful one first, a _Vajra_ pinning it to the wall, a strange knife hitting it in the neck and causing it to dissolve into black dust that trickled to the floor milliseconds after. A chant yelled in a hoarse voice, and a yell followed by a strange gesture and a surge of white light took care of the second enemy. They immediately combed the room, taking files and notes of interest, before hurrying out of that place, eager to be safe.

.

* * *

.

Fingers dripped with blood, and pointed grinned in savage pleasure at the remains in front of it, a cup of tea still steaming on the bench, filling the air with the scent of chamomile and lavender.

.

* * *

.

She dragged the heavy body down the stairs, huffing, and her torch a steady light against the suffocating darkness, her fan ready in her hand. A trail of blood followed their path, and unfriendly eyes watched from the shadows, waiting to strike.

.

* * *

.

Gold and black fought for dominance, the black slowly overpowering the gold, before the gold struck back, crippling the black and gaining ground. Locked in an unending battle, neither giving ground for very long, the two bit and clawed and scratched, unceasing. Too many battles had been fought like this one, and the gold would be damned if it gave up now. It would win, no matter what.

.

* * *

.

.

A man stood staring at the cursive script on the door, then at the worn card that his contact had handed him, the two almost identical. The name was written (helpfully) in English on both the sign and the card, so he was sure he was at the right place, but…something held him back from knocking and entering. Call it an intuition of some kind, or perhaps that small detail that there were high-level mastery spells warding against those of malicious intent; corporeal and non-corporeal. He was unsure if coming to rant at someone counted as malicious intent (he was feeling pretty murderous, after a long flight, numerous delays and the traffic), but he wasn't keen to test the theory. Yet, he needed to know…

"Can I help you?"

He jumped and spun around, hand reaching for his gun in an inside pocket, and froze.

Warm, was what he'd use to describe her. Cinnamon eyes, brown hair with hints of auburn, an easy smile with slight laugh lines around the corners of her eyes, and an overall gentle disposition. She carried a small laptop bag, and a manila folder on top of which perched keys, obviously to the building. He suddenly felt very, very unsure of himself, and this current course of action.

"It's just that…you're a bit early in the morning to see the boss, if you wanted to offer a case. He normally comes in around eight, and our other investigator drops by around ten, if you want to talk to them."

He swallowed and, in his absolutely terrible Japanese, replied.

"I'm looking for my brother."

.

He was not expecting her to jerk backwards as if she'd been burned, dropping the folder on the ground and paling rapidly, her eyes blown wide and her breathing panicky. He reached towards her, and she took a step back, so he crouched down to pick up her papers, sorting them back into the folder and handing it to her. She took it slowly, eyes never leaving his face, and they stood there, awkwardly, for what seemed like hours.

Her eyes flashed silver; once, twice, (he dismissed it as a trick of the light) and then her face gained colour as she relaxed, no longer giving the appearance of a startled cat.

" **My apologies**." She said in English, taking great care to enunciate her words correctly. " **I think you must…come in? My boss will talk to you**."

She brushed past him and unlocked the door, manoeuvring her coat off and onto the hooks without dropping the folder or her bag (it looked well practised to him), and kicked off her shoes, walking inside, before pausing under the doorframe, and turning to look at him, her faced half-shadowed.

" **Well? It is safe to enter, Mark. You have nothing to fear in this place**."

.

Mark stared at her, something niggling in the back of his mind about the eye thing, before taking a deep breath and shrugging off his coat and placing it on a hook, before staring at it as it floated _off the hook_ and onto one on the opposite side. He looked at the girl, and she gave him a secretive smile.

" **Lin-san doesn't like it when others use his coat hook**."

For some reason, it sounded a lot more sinister than it should have. Then something occurred to him.

' _How in Saint Peter did she know my name?'_

.

.

Mai poured the tea into the cup, discretely eyeing the man who was sitting awkwardly on the couch. He was tall, nearing Monk's height, with John's jawline but lower cheekbones; not quite the 'angelic' features that the Catholic Priest had. A scar curved underneath his left jawbone, while another dissected his left eyebrow. His hair was a mixture of blond and brown, and there was a white streak on the left side (it must have been an accident that scarred his face and caused his hair to go white), and his white-blue eyes (frost blue, the art student within her corrected) darted to and fro, noting exits, possible weapons and cover if she should decide to pull out a machine gun.

It was the exact same thing that John and Lin did every time they entered a room.

Mai paced the tea down on the coffee table in front of him, and he started slightly. She smiled at him.

" **Please. Enjoy."**

She left, and watched him from the corner of her eye as he took a sip, relaxing instantly and exhaling. He had an odd sort of feel about him, like he was lost, in direction or in purpose; she couldn't discern at the current moment. She glanced at the clock as it ticked over to nine o'clock, and Naru walked in the door that led up to the flat, hanging his own coat up, before noticing the leather bomber jacket that hung on a spare hook, and turning to face Mai. She gave him a small grin.

"John's brother is here. I think you should talk to him."

Naru raised an eyebrow, and turned to face that man that had risen as he'd walked in, the man holding out a hand.

"Mark Brown." Mai frowned, then her expression cleared when Naru took it in his own, and shook it, replying in English.

"Oliver Davis. I believe you're looking for John, then?"

Mark gaped at him, and then at Mai, before his expression cleared as something dawned on him. Mai marvelled at the different types of English (and Lord had it just gotten even more complicated. She could hardly keep up with Naru when he spoke English; Mark's accent was vastly different to Naru's English), and the ways they pronounced their words. Naru's were clipped and precise (must like his Japanese), while Mark's were slightly drawled; lazy, unhurried.

"Your…assistant? She a psychic?"

"Latent, but she has a few…odd gifts that crop up now and again. Have a seat. Mai…"

Mai set Naru's tea in front of him, and gave him a wink at his amused look, before sauntering off to tackle the paperwork that had accumulated yesterday from a myriad of phone calls and invoicing that needed to be done _yesterday_. She'd leave the interrogation to Naru, and Yasu, when he showed up.

.

.

Oliver sipped his tea, and assessed the Australian opposite him, midnight blue clashing with frost. Mai had scarpered off to do the paperwork (he wondered if she'd found the Post-It note with her name on it, and the instructions ' _Do now, due yesterday'_ , then dismissed it. She would have; she didn't miss details).

"You are a hard man to find, Doctor Davis. The supernatural community are in an uproar about your, ah…disappearance." Mark opened in English, and Oliver smirked. ' _A challenge, then'._

"Yes, I'm afraid I had to cancel Season 10 in order to make a guest appearance in Game of Thrones to be brutally murdered, then traipse halfway around the world to find the Davis who had actually been brutally murdered." He took a sip of his tea as Mark choked on his, and Mai popped her head around the screen, before giving him a _look_.

" **Play nice, Naru**." Naru lifted a sardonic brow at her, a ' _who, me?'_ expression on his face, but she merely stared at him evenly, until he sighed.

" **Go do your filing**." She smirked at him (the minx), and left the room, and he turned his attention back to Mark. He was quite similar to John, he realised, with the same jaw, quiet strength and determination, and the same half-smile. Same nose, harder features, and clearly favoured a different weapon than John's holy water (see, Lin? I _can_ notice things).

Mark, in turn, studied the Japanese man in front of him. He seemed more…human, normal, than what he had expected form one of the most powerful PK users in the world (known, anyway). Slight in frame, narrow features (Matt would call them Elven, the nerd), and a confidence- bordering on arrogance, maybe- that seemed to emanate from his very being. And a sharp tongue. Because he was _not_ expecting that Game of Thrones comment.

"I apologise, Doctor Davis. I did not mean to…"

"Forget it." Oliver waved his hand, interrupting, "and call me Oliver, please. Doctor Davis is my father."

"Oliver, then." Oliver marvelled that they were speaking the same language, yet the emphasis placed on the different letters gave his name a whole new sound. It was an odd feeling, really.

"I…ah…mentioned to your assistant…Maya?"

"Mai." Oliver corrected, thinking of Mai's very quiet twin, who had stopped by for lunch the other day, and Mai had come back all the brighter for it. The memory retrieval process was slow going, but it was getting there. Mai was more…herself. The flashes he'd seen over the years before he'd left were becoming more and more frequent, some of her true personality shining through more often.

"Mai. I mentioned to Mai that I was looking for my brother…what?"

Oliver shook his head, a bitter smile twisting his lips.

"That's exactly what I told her, before the truth came out. I…ah…hurt her quite badly, then. I said a few things that I regret now. That particular phrase doesn't bring a wealth of happy memories, but…"

"Ah." Mark shifted uncomfortably, and Oliver took pity on him. Mark didn't have the silent and knowledgeable support of Lin like he had; he was probably tired, frustrated, and worried to death about his brother. Oliver could relate very well to those sentiments.

"Never mind. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out about this place? We don't exactly…advertise."

"Not in the surface world, no. But,' Mark leaned forwards, a sly look on his face, "there are rumours. Whispers. An Omnioji working with a Shinto priestess who can harness the power of the trees. A Buddhist Monk fiercely protective of an astral projectionist. Two mediums, one also a PK user. A Catholic priest and a researcher who hasn't run screaming from the business. And a young man who destroyed a god because he had _something to prove._ "  
"A family of demon hunters who travel Australia." Oliver countered, hiding his unease at how well Mark had done his homework. "An experiment on a child that prevented the Enclave from destroying them." Oliver narrowed his eyes. "And a father who crossed the line."

"Touché." Mark conceded, "Though I am surprised you know that much. John is notorious among our family for being tight lipped, hence why he was able to…disappear so easily. There were no clues, no hints, not even a whiff of anything amiss. One morning he was there, next…we searched all over Australia, Peter especially. John's his golden boy; his ticket out, his get-out-of-jail-free card, as it were. He'd tried for years to get John to slip; anger, fear, frustration, guilt. But Johnny kept it all in. He was smart like that."

Oliver noticed that Mark was rambling, but he let him get it all out. It had clearly been building up for a while, and this was an excellent way to assess whether Mark was a threat or not. Mark, however, didn't seem to realize this, as he continued.

"We knew that he and Luke would speak in Japanese, but we didn't think anything of it until I got that phone call from…Yasu-something."

"Yasuhara?" Oliver supplied, and Mark blinked at him.

"You know him?"

"He's a researcher here, and John's flatmate."

"Right. Well, I left a message for him, just to keep him up to date like I normally do every month, and when I got a reply, the first words in a Japanese accent, everything sorta clicked. Everything made sense, and it explained why the plane tickets cost so much, to be honest. John's bank account looked a little worse for wear, but I suppose he'd been planning it for a while; he had a lot of money stored up, in several different banks that he could access in a wide range of countries. Tracking him down was the hard part, simply because he inspires…loyalty wherever he goes. It's the damn baby blues, I tell you."

"I'm aware." Was Oliver's only comment, and Mark grinned at him.

"He grows on ya, eventually. He also has this irritating habit of blending in well with the locals wherever he goes. Call it a gift, or angelic influence, it took me weeks to track him here, although the phone call helped. The number was definitely Japanese, and it registered in the database as being bought in Shibuya, so it narrowed my search. Marginally. He'd need access to holy water, so a church with a cache was needed. He needed income, and he's an ordained minister, who likes working with children, so any orphanages within the area were a possibility. Then it was a matter of rumour, really. Blonde hair sticks out."

"As do terrible accents." Oliver added with a wry grin, and Mark laughed.

"That too. But anyway, can you help me?"

Oliver bit his lip, and drained his tea.

"He's on a case at the moment, and due to contract restrictions, I am unable to tell you where he is."

Mark deflated, and Oliver had a sudden brainwave.

"If I may, Nagoya Asylum is a lovely spot to visit, and popular with tourists. Haunted, and most likely filled with all sorts of nasty things, it draws a certain type of person to it. Coincidentally, Yasuhara is heading there this morning to drop of some research, and would be more than happy to give you a…tour."

"Yes, I would."

The heavily accented English surprised Oliver, but he hid it well, even as Yasu entered the room, still holding on to his jacket. Mark, however, with his back to the door, spun around, his hand going to the small of his back, before dropping to the couch.

"Hi." Yasu grinned at him. "You are Mark? I am Yasu. We spoke on phone."

"We spoke on _the_ phone." Oliver corrected absently, and Yasu grinned at him.

"English is tricky, _Naru_."

"What?" Mark looked at him, and Oliver sighed.

"My nickname; Noll. Mai called me Naru the Narcissist when we first met, and it stuck. I don't mind it now."

" **You bit Mai's head off when she first used it, boss man. To close to** ** _Noru_** **."**

" **I heard my name?"** Mai questioned, spotting Yasu and groaning, before heading back out.

" **Never mind, it's just Yasu."**

" **Just Yasu?! Mai, you wound me!"**

"Yasu." Oliver sighed, seeing their Australian visitor starting to look overwhelmed. " **Take Mark to see his brother, please. And buy him coffee while you're at it. He looks dead on his feet, and I'd hate to explain to John why we had to exorcise his brother."**

Yasu saluted, and Oliver resisted the urge to face-palm, before Yasu bowed to Mark, and gestured out the door.

"This way, please. We go find Brother John."

Mark cracked a grin, and picked up his duffle bag, following the hyperactive researcher out. Oliver watched them go with a sad smile, mind flashing to another brother hunting his twin, and the outcome of it.

"Godspeed, Mark Brown. Reach him in time."

.

* * *

.

.

Houshou hissed as Ayako applied some antiseptic onto a scratch that sliced across his forearm. He had been just a fraction to slow getting back to base, and another demon had caught up with them. Tajo had dealt with it, but not before it had tried to take a chunk out of Monk's arm, thrown up in front of his face. Across from him, Tajo was patiently sitting while Lin taped his ribs (he'd been thrown into a filing cabinet soon after they had gotten out, while he stopped to pick up the notes that they had made about the locked drawer), occasionally wincing as he talked to Lin in low tones, no doubt relating to the book he'd found. The two demons that Ayako had mentioned were naught but ash on the carpet, and there was a slight burn mark on her cheek were the acid blood of the demon had splashed.

He and Tajo had walked in on her and Lin sitting on the couch, Ayako in near hysterics, while Lin was calm and soothing, murmuring something to her with a comforting arm around her shoulders. He'd felt jealousy rear its ugly head for a moment, before Ayako had flung herself into his arms, sobbing on his shoulder, while he tried not to bleed over her shirt. Tajo had bee-lined for Lin, an apology bursting form his lips, and Lin giving him a quick hug and the words ' _nothing to forgive'_.

They were still waiting on Madoka, Masako and John, whereabouts unknown, and Houshou was starting to worry a little. Judging by the tightness of Ayako's mouth, and the set of Tajo's shoulders, he wasn't the only one. Last they checked, Madoka had gone to get tea, while Masako and John had gone to investigate the third floor, both looking a tad nervous. It was understandable; they were the youngest on this case, and possibly the least experienced in terms of years in the business, but he thought they had nothing to worry about.

Well, until the demons showed up.

.

The door opened, and Houshou looked up to watch Madoka saunter in, blood decorating her face and hands, holding a tray of steaming tea, giving them all a oblivious smile to their incredulous stares.

"Tea?"

Tajo stood up and crossed the room in mere seconds as Madoka placed the tea tray down in the table, Tajo's hands coming up to cradle her face as they stared at each other, foreheads pressed together. Houshou felt like he was intruding, but they pulled away seconds later, Madoka brushing a hand over Tajo's ribs, and Tajo pulling out a cloth to wipe the blood off her face.

"What did you do, bite it?"

Madoka grinned at him, and Houshou shuddered as he saw blood on her teeth. How much did he really know about Madoka, anyway? Did she have a degree? Supernatural talents? Her birthday, even, when was it?

"He was quite rude. Tried to upend my tea before killing me."

Tajo laughed, holding his side as his ribs twinged, and Houshou shook his head at the two, before directing his gaze once more at the door, wondering if John and Masako were far behind.

"…haven't seen them, but if they had been killed or captured, we'd know about it. These bastards like to boast, so relax, Aya. They'll be fine."

.

"If they aren't here in five minutes," Lin began, "I'll go out and look for them, if anyone wants to join me."

"No one is leaving the base." Madoka countered. "I know we want to go look for them, but it's too risky. We could miss them, electronics could short out and leave us in a communications blackout, we could get separated, and then we're in an even bigger mess. I didn't sign up for this shit, so as soon as Masako and John get back, we're packing up and getting out of here."

"We can't just leave." Tajo protested. "There are people here who need our help."

"And we'll not be able to help them if we're dead ourselves." Madoka retorted. "You're supposed to take my side, Tajo, not argue against."

"What if they don't come back within five minutes, Madoka?" Ayako put in. "What then?"

Madoka looked stressed, tired, and worn down, and Houshou took pity on her. Standing up, he addressed everyone.

"Enough. We wait twenty minutes for them to come back, but pack up in the meantime, so that we're ready to go when we find them. Is that okay with everyone?"

There were nods, and Monk had moved to help Lin with the monitors, when the door swung open. There was the sound of cloth against carpet, and a muffled curse that sounded suspiciously like Masako, except…he turned around.

.

It was Masako.

In tights.

And a singlet.

Dragging an unconscious John.

.

.

Does not compute.

.

* * *

.

.

Masako huffed as she finally dragged John into base, wiping her arm across her eyes, being careful not to gouge her own eyes out with her fan (which still had blood on it, ugh), and the sting of the blood already on her face getting worse the longer time passed. She'd have to rinse it, or put something on it, before it got worse, but she needed to make sure that John was not able to escape (she was quite proud of her knot work, and she had a strange feeling that Sensei Kwan would be to), and that he wouldn't wake up and kill them all in their sleep (and wasn't that weird now, that the only people who hadn't been possessed were all the older members of SPR?). She kicked the doors shut behind her, and slumped to the ground, her breathing embarrassingly heavy.

"Masako?"

The voice was Ayako's, and the red-head herself came closer to examine John, but Masako stopped her with an outstretched hand, the doctor coming to a halt with a confused look on her face.

"Are you alright?" The question came from Dr Li (Tajo, her mind supplied, he gave you permission to use his name), and Masako found herself breathing out a funny little laugh that was borderline hysterical.

"Oh, just perfect! You?" The adults exchanged glances with each other, and Masako huffed in irritation. "Where were you all? John may look skinny, but he's certainly no lightweight after dragging him down two flights of stairs while stopping to kill those… _things_ every so often. Speaking of which, I want to know why most of you aren't surprised by the presence of them, but neglected to mention it to the poor, naïve medium who _killed them!"_

And then she was crying, and Ayako had her arms around her, and she was sobbing out that John got possessed and tried to kill her and nearly did but she nearly killed him first with the vase and the blood and it was all over her and she wanted to go home…

There was a hand, gentle on her face, that swiped across her split lip and warmth tingled after its path, and she felt calm (almost too calm). There was a muttered oath at the sight of her black eye (she could feel it swelling beautifully) and the cuts all over her hands still oozing blood, while Ayako waited for Lin to draw something on John's forehead and palms, so that must mean that it was Dr Li (TAJO!) who was murmuring something under his breath as he examined her hands in his own (soft, with calluses on the knuckles and a few scars here and there). Her back was one big bruise; she could even feel it spreading, but it chased away by the warmth that spread down into her toes and made her feel tired.

"I'm sorry for being a nuisance." She whispered, and she felt Tajo start.

"A nuisance? What for?"

"For not being able to take the shock well." Masako whispered, and her chin was lifted up so that she was staring into heterochromia eyes, and not the floor.

"Listen to me, Masako Hara, and listen well. I was eight when I killed my first demon, and I hardly slept for weeks. You, however, not only killed one, but had to battle one of your closest friends after he was possessed and tried to kill you. I know people twice your age who would be gibbering messes for _days_ after, not apologizing after minutes. I'd say you're doing pretty well, considering you were introduced to these things this morning. You didn't know demons existed?"

"I…I see them, sometimes." She admitted, her tongue looser than she intended it to be. "On dangerous cases, but they normally disappear. One of them grabbed my hair once, so I refused to keep it long again. I didn't know what they were; I just thought that they were spirits of some kind that I hadn't encountered before."

"The fault is ours, then." Tajo admitted, manoeuvring himself to sit next to her and lean back against the door. "We aren't surprised by them anymore because nine times out of ten, one will show up, normally gunning for Koujo, who has some sort of internal demon magnet. We should have warned you, and I apologize for that."

"Thank you." Masako murmured. "For helping me, and for apologizing. I thought that I knew everything about the spiritual world…"

"Ah, ah." Tajo interrupted. "Therein lies the problem. Demons are not spiritual, per say. They come underneath the supernatural banner in our world, as they, technically, don't have a soul. They are, unfortunately, lumped together with zombies and golems, which is ridiculous, since neither of those two are capable of sentient thought."

"Oh."

.

Tajo stood up, and offered her a hand, which she took gratefully, her legs alternating between stiff and jelly every few seconds. She leaned heavily on him until she reached the couch, which she flopped gracelessly onto, letting out a sigh of relief as the pain in her legs reduced somewhat. She closed her eyes, shutting out the bright lights as the others started to discuss what they were going ot do with John, and she promised herself that she'd only shut them for a minute…

.

.

She awoke slightly when someone draped a blanket across her form while someone else (Ayako or Madoka, the hair was very unique) removed her shoes. A hand smoothed her forehead, and a male voice murmured "Rest, Masako. You did well."

Smiling a little, and leaning into the touch, she closed her eyes and snuggled into the blankets, a warm feeling chasing her into her dreams.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Deep in the East Wing, Cho paced her cell, a bruised cheekbone starting to swell, while Rose slept fitfully across from her, cradling her broken fingers. Her uncle was here, she could feel it! He was close, so close, but yet so far away, and did he even know that she was here? She shivered as another lesser demon drifted past, the red eyes trailing over her form with unconcealed lust, and she wished dearly for her knife, her pendant or anything, but the cold cells and the thin inmate's garb, and the demon that licked its lips and laughed at her.

.

* * *

.

A man stood in front of a wall covered with security feeds, and smiled as he saw the medium fight, and the others argue while the priest was possessed. He had waited a very long time for this moment, and he wished it to be glorious. He would rise above them all, and his name would be chanted by the masses, while his nemesis and old enemies would fall at his feet and beg for mercy, before he killed them. Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knew they feared.

He would be victorious, and nothing would stand in his way. He would no longer crawl along the ground, but soar above the rest. If he closed his eyes, he could hear the chants of the crowd.

.

" _Wú! Wú! Wú! Wú!"_

.

 _"Centipede! Centipede! Centipede! Centipede!"_

.

.

So lost in his daydreams, he missed the white car pull into the carpark.

He missed a young man exit, adjusting his glasses.

He missed an older man pull out his gun and deal with a demon at the gate.

He missed the easy way the two moved into the front hall, unchallenged.

.

He missed the arrival of the man who would throw a 16.5" spanner in his plans.

.

* * *

.

.

 **Cool. Rushed a bit, but it needed to be finished. Read, Review etc.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	19. Bloody Sunday

**Heeeeeyyyyyy. Long time no post, huh? Crazy stuff has been happening, but I'm glad to get this one out. After this, only 5 more chapters to go…isn't that exciting!**

 **Read and Review.**

 **Enjoy!**

.

* * *

.

.

John felt awful. Looking at Briathos, covered in ichor, demonic blood and bruises, he could see why. The angel was exhausted from battling the demon and preventing it from taking over John's body completely, and they were losing, before everything froze momentarily, and the demon was bound in chains of white light, a tiger growling as it appeared from thin air (no, he did not jump, shut up _Bri_ ) and placed itself between them and the demon. It was strange in which it had a small golden band around its left foreleg, and didn't cause the hairs on John's neck to raise. On second thought, the marking on the band looked familiar, almost as if…

His face split into a grin, and Briathos stared at him, incredulous, still breathing heavily.

"Why in Heaven are you so happy about a godforsaken shiki?"

John gestured towards the tiger, almost bouncing in place.

"Only Lin has shiki in our group. It means that he's bound the demon inside us for the time being, in order to buy some time so that they can exorcise it without it trying to kill them all."

"Ah." Briathos frowned, and turned to John. "Doesn't that mean he's also bound _us_ inside with the demon who wants to kill us?"

John's smile fell, and he stared at the demon which was wriggling in its chains and snarling at them with murder in its eyes, the tiger now pacing, tail lashing in agitation, a low growl rumbling in its throat as cracks started to form on the floor.

"Crap."

.

* * *

.

" **What the** _hell_ **are these things**?" The kid (Yasu, his mind supplied, 5'12, glasses for long-sightedness, calluses from some form of martial arts on the knuckles, finger-pads from typing for long hours. Some form of stringed instrument when he was younger) kicked at a corpse, before bending down and pulling out a few strands of the violently blue hair, folding it into a tissue, then tucking it away into his pocket.

" **Lower demons."** Mark spat on the one that had nicked his arm, and reloaded his pistol. **"I hate the bloody bastards. They're bad enough alone, but in packs…someone, or something higher up on the food chain is pulling their strings."**

 **"And that is…bad thing?"**

The kid looked so serious, despite his playful nature, and the grey eyes behind the glasses were stony. Mark nodded, and tossed the kid a spare knife, which, to his eternal surprise, the kid didn't slice his hands open with when he caught it. It was actually rather impressive; he was holding it correctly as well. Maybe John had taught him a few tricks on the sly. Speaking of which…

 **"Very. How the hell are we supposed to find them in this place anyway? It's huge**."

Yasu frowned, checking his phone, and then shoving it back in his pocket angrily.

 **"No service. Normal place for us on second floor. Search there first.** "

Mark pulled out a torch, and adjusted his grip on his gun.

" **Let's move**."

.

There were corpses on the second floor as well, and Mark eyed them closely. There were obvious knife marks on one of them, in strategic places in order to cause the most damage, while the other…had a wound that went straight through, charred on the sides. He crouched down next to it, noting that the kid (Yasu, Mark, Yasu) took up a guard position at his back, knife at the ready. Come to think of it, the knife marks were somewhat oddly shaped, and the angle was all wrong. Could have been a different kind of knife, but…

" **We should keep moving**." Yasu hissed, tapping him on the shoulder. Mark nodded, and stood, making his way towards the next intersection, turning the corner and stopping dead in his tracks, Yasu bumping into his back.

 **"Why are we stopping**?"

He moved to the side, Yasu hissing once he caught sight of the carnage. The remains of a shattered vase scattered across the floor, some carrying blood, while a table was lopsided, and there were scraps of fabric on the floor. Mark knelt down to examine the shards, and felt his heart stop when he caught sight of the golden blonde hair that was the exact same shade of John's. Yasu, beside him, whispered ' _Masako'_ as he fingered a fraying piece of silky fabric. Mark scanned the area, looking for clues, spotting one in the shape of a demon with a slash mark across its face, and one on its neck.

" **This wasn't made by a knife, or claw**." He muttered. Yasu glanced at him.

 **"Bladed fan. Masako carried one all time, in case she was attacked walking home from school or station. They could still be alive?"**

It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as much as him, and Mark felt a stab of pity for the kid. No one should have to worry about whether their friends were alive or not, and Masako? Girlfriend? Another researcher, perhaps, dragged into this world of spirits and monsters without a choice and paying the price in the worst way possible. He hoped it wasn't the case, but he wasn't holding out hope, despite the sick feeling in his stomach. The evidence of the scene spoke for itself, and it wasn't good. He swallowed, and stood up, dusting off his pants.

" **We should go. There may be more just waiting to come and have a snack."**

Yasu nodded, placing the fabric in his pocket, and his grip on his knife tightened.

" **I hope they still alive**."

 **"All we can do it hope."** Mark muttered, and set forth yet again, torch sweeping their path, eyes and claws following silently, tracking their movement, before vanishing, and going to report to their master.

.

* * *

.

"Master."

Koujo had turned and prepped to throw a knife before he realized that it was Lang who had spoken, and was currently standing stiffly in the middle of the room, hands clenched into fists. He was uncomfortable, Koujo realised, with all the attention suddenly on him as they all stared at him, Takigawa with his Vajra and Tajo with his knife ready to attack at any given moment. Thankfully, Masako was still asleep on the couch, while John was out cold (with a very nasty bruise forming, and Hu keeping the demon from waking up), and Ayako and Madoka were on the other side of the room.

"Lang." He acknowledged, sensing rather than seeing the others relax. "Report."

"Young-old-man and another have entered the house. Shall I guide them to base?"

"Who?" Takigawa muttered, Madoka answering "Yasu" absently, while Koujo nodded.

"Be quick. We need to get out of here as soon as. Give Yasu this." He passed his house key over (it had somehow become their symbol, a way of identifying the truth when things were dangerous, as only SPR knew the story behind it) and Lang nodded, vanishing almost instantly.

"Useful." Tajo commented from beside him, and Koujo raised a brow. Tajo shrugged. "I mean, you can get them to do almost anything you want; don't think I haven't heard about the little temper tantrum you threw with Konju, Koujo, yet you don't. Why?"

"A lesser known fact about shiki,' Koujo replied, a wry grin twisting his lips,' is that the more you use them consistently, the more…wild they become, harder to control. If they come to you of their own accord, however, it doesn't count. Because I used Xiong a few cases ago, he is 'straining at the leash', if you will. I counter that by giving him time off to go run around or whatever, before he comes back."

Tajo made an understanding noise, and handed him a clipboard.

"Madoka and I will wait a while before we head out to collect the microphones and cameras, although it might be better to go in a big group, to prevent attacks happening again."

Koujo scanned over the items that had already been packed, and nodded.

"I'll watch base. Best keep the young ones out of trouble." He gestured to Masako and John, and Tajo grinned at him.

"Alright then, Papa Dragon. I'll leave you to guard your treasure." He dodged the swipe (Koujo vowed revenge later), laughing, and re-joined Madoka by the shelving, jabbing her in the sides and making her squeal. Koujo shook his head (hadn't he been feeling sick since he got here?) and went back to rolling up cords and ticking them off on his own clipboard.

He snapped his head up when the door opened, Lang immediately scurrying to sit by his leg in wolf-form, whining and huddling down behind him. Koujo frowned at the uncharacteristic behaviour, and crouched down, prodding at a bullet graze on Lang's left shoulder, brows furrowed. Demons didn't carry guns (did they even know what they were?), and Yasu definitely didn't carry one, so…

The click of a gun drew his attention to the door, where a man was holding what was clearly a custom made pistol, leather jacket already covered in demon blood, and a flashlight held in the other hand. Yasu stood beside him, hair ruffled and clothes ripped in places, glasses askew, holding a knife in his left hand (properly, well done), and eyes darting from the man to Monk, Tajo, Madoka, Ayako, himself…

His mind registered where the stranger was pointing his gun, and he immediately shot to his feet, his own pistol grabbed from under his desk and aimed, safety off, standing protectively in front of Lang, who cowered at his feet. The man switched his aim to him, but his hands didn't waver. It took a few moments, but the others in the room seemed to register the Mexican standoff taking place right in front of them.

" **Step away from the demon, mate**."

" **Wait, Mark** …"

Madoka and Tajo moved to take his gun, but Koujo shrugged them off, voice clipped and cool when he spoke.

" **Put the gun away first**."

The stranger narrowed his eyes, re-aiming at Lang, and Koujo felt the tiniest flickering of rage building in his gut. This man had come and injure one of _his_ shiki, and had the nerve to tell him to step away? So that he could shoot Lang? Just who the hell did he think he was?

" **Step. Away. Now**." The intruder's voice had dropped pitch, and had a clear tone of command in it, but Koujo had grown up with an overbearing, militaristic father, and a slave-driver of a grandfather, plus his sister. This man had nothing on them.

"Look, gentlemen, let's just,' Tajo stepped between them, much to Koujo's ire, 'put the guns away, and talk about this for a second. Koujo, the gun."

"Not until he stops pointing his at Lang." Koujo gritted out. The man jerked in surprise, and his gun lowered, the tension abating

"He's yours?"

Koujo lowered his own, but still kept the safety off.

"He has been for about 10 years. Who the hell are you?"

"Koujo." Madoka muttered, sounding annoyed, and just the teeniest bit long-suffering. The man nodded, and disarmed his gun, dropping it on the floor. Yasu shifted uncomfortably, and fiddled with the knife.

"Um…everyone, this is Mark Brown. Mark Brown, everyone."

"Yasu." Ayako covered her eyes. "Must you do that every time?"

"You're John's brother?" Takigawa asked, his own eyes narrowed. "How did you find us?"

"I went to office first. I spoke with…Oliver and…Mai, and they told me to come here."

"Directly?" Madoka raised an eyebrow, and Mark shrugged.

"He may have mentioned that Nagoya Asylum lovely this time of year, and that Yasu would take me sightseeing." There was a muffled laugh from Tajo, and Koujo sighed, putting his gun back under his desk, his hand straying to his knife nevertheless.

"Where are John and Masako?" Yasu asked, fingering what looked to be a piece of fabric. Ayako gestured towards the couch, and Yasu hurried, practically _ran_ , over to it before slumping in visible relief, nearly collapsing to the floor. Koujo frowned, calculating their route through the asylum, before realising that their path would have most likely taken them through two points of attack; Takigawa and Tajo's, and then John and Masako's, hence the fabric and the worry. He turned to the other man, a scowl etched on his face as he faced the man who had _shot his shiki._

 **"I'm assuming you're the one who shot Lang**?"

The man, Mark, shrugged sheepishly, and spread his hands in a ' _what-can-you-do?'_ gesture.

" **I thought that he was…well…feral, for lack of better word. He certainly looked the part. No hard feelings, right?"** Mark held out his hand for Koujo to shake, which he stared at before taking. He jerked Mark forward, while bringing his left fist up to smash into the side of Mark's face. There was a sudden chorus of protests, and the distinct sound of a wolf sniggering under the desk, while Mark swore heavily, hand covering his now split lip and blackening eye.

" **None whatsoever**." Koujo gave him a sly grin, and Mark nodded grudgingly, the tiniest hint of respect starting to flicker in his eyes. Koujo leaned forward.

" **If you touch any of my shiki again, I will end you. Do I make myself** **clear?** "

 **"Crystal.** " The answer was muffled, and Koujo resisted the urge to smirk, before he stood up straight, and levelled a steady gaze at the others.

"Shouldn't we be packing up?"

.

* * *

.

Yasu didn't hate a lot of things, but this place…this place reminded him too much of the zombie apocalypse games that he'd play with John, except, you know, the bits where you had taken a wrong turn and had ended up in the wrong place and you were about to die. Although, there were weren't generally exorcists and other assorted people who dealt with the supernatural and other stuff that frankly, made him feel so far out of his league that he was a whole fucking universe away. Hell, even _John_ had 'special powers' of sorts. He had felt better when Mai was just a klutz, and Ayako hadn't shown everyone her tree thingy, and when John was just a normal-ish guy who used a different sort of power to get rid of spirits. Hell, even Boss Man was normal at first, and Yasu suspected nothing out of the ordinary, and then WHAM! Mai has super-mystical powers that put her on the scale at about an 8, Ayako rated at least a 5, John was possessed by an angel permanently and therefore didn't even bother rating, and Boss Man was now Super Boss Man with scary powers that freaked the ever-loving shit out of him.

Then Mark Brown had showed up, handed him a knife, and everything felt normal (and that _really_ concerned him, because when did this kind of fuckery become normal?) when he walked into the house, watching Mark's six like a pro sidekick in some action movie, and had even taken down some demons himself (well, one and a half, but still). He, a humble researcher from a lower middle-class family, had landed one of the most unbelievable jobs in the whole universe, and wasn't doing too badly (well, from his point of view. Boss Man was probably dying of embarrassment on the inside), but….

"Yasu, the camera." Madoka's voice interrupted his musings, and he handed her the camera that he'd finished packing up, placing the rolled up cord into one of his pockets. The bag was back in base, and he didn't really feel like travelling back through six corridors and two flights of stairs just to go get it. Besides, he had big pockets, and people guarding his back out here. Masako, John, Mark and Ayako were back at base, safe behind the wards with two of Lin's shiki, while the rest were with him. Madoka had been very tight-lipped about why she in particular had been chosen to join the 'guard', and Lin and Tajo certainly weren't divulging any secrets. Monk was clueless, as usual, yet he seemed to be on edge more so than usual, darting glances into the shadows, and, strangely enough, glaring at the paintings on the walls. He was starting to wish that he was back in base, when the sensation of cold steel at his throat stopped him in his tracks. It was also the iron grip around one of his arms, and the rock solid muscles at his back that stopped him from stabbing the hand.

"Um…Madoka?" His voice trembled a little, and Madoka turned around, a sigh forming on her lips, before her eyes slid past him, and she froze, her arm shooting out to hit Tajo on the arm, he in turn stopping Monk and Lin. Tajo looked shocked, Monk looked confused. But it was Lin's expression that honesty freaked Yasu out the most.

It was an expression that boiled blood and bathed everything in red, of lost control and danger.

It was the twisted expression of hatred.

.

* * *

.

Cho was slumped in her cell, arms wrapped around herself for warmth, eyes glaring out at the world, daring it to screw her over one more time. The demon had drifted past an hour ago, leaving Rose a sobbing mess in the corner with its cruel words and sharp claws. It was purely a stroke of luck that it had been summoned from down the hall, otherwise…Cho's mind was more than happy to fill in every worst-case scenario that could have happened. She could hear voices yelling down the corridor, some in excitement, others in anticipation, a few in anger. The prisoner in the cell three down from hers had gone out last night, and hadn't returned since, nor had the one next to him, three days before. Her wrist was much better; hours whittled away by punching and kicking the padded wall, Rose copying her once her ankle had healed enough for her to stand on it. Their only chance for escape was to beat the shit out of their captors, and Cho wanted to be as strong as possible in the coming days.

Because she knew that she was the next to leave.

"Cho!" Rose whispered, and Cho looked up, heterochromia meeting pale green. Rose gave her a smile, and nodded her head towards the doors at the far end of the corridor. Cho shook her head, and tilted her head back.

"I'm going to be leaving tonight. Then it will be you."

"What are they going to do to us?"

Cho swallowed, and met her girlfriends gaze squarely. She had never hidden anything form her, and now was definitely not the time to start that rather irritating (and relationship-destroying) habit.

"I don't know."

The voices got louder, and Cho rose to her feet, eyes narrow. They spoke a mixture of languages, the most prominent ones Japanese and Chinese, but the accents were so much thicker than her uncle's, and harder to understand. Some words didn't even make sense at all, and that irritated her. She hated not knowing what people were saying. The door slammed open, and a swarm of lackey headed towards her, gesturing excitedly. They spoke too quickly for her to get a grasp of the whole sentence, but she managed to get a few words.

Fight. Blood. Money. Bets.

The important things in life for the average underground criminals. Everything made so much more sense. The kidnapping, the relatively good condition of the cell and the food and clothes they were provided with, and the reason why the last two prisoners, and most likely all the others before them, hadn't returned. Her uncle's horror stories about his time in Hong Kong flooded to the forefront of her mind, and she swallowed heavily.

She was a fighter in a **_Sǐwáng bǐsài.*_**

The door to her cell opened, and two men came in, grabbing her arms and pulling her unresponsive body out of her lodgings, and leading her towards a reddish light at the end of the corridor. She heard Rose's door open, and Rose's protests, but her insides had gone numb, and she could barely put one foot in front of another. The jabbering of the guards hammered at her ears and brain, but the words washed over her. The demon stood guard at the doors, and he shot her a lecherous grin that made her skin crawl and her insides twist. She was lead past, and into a massive arena, the floor padded just like home, and crowds screaming for blood.

There was already a fight going on, between a Lower Demon and a powerful man with several tattoos, none like her uncle's. It was brutal and vicious, and Cho started to feel sick. Scanning the crowds, her eyes spotted a short, lean man with eyes that caused her hackles to raise, next to him a sickly looking woman who looked as though she had taken one too many shots of methamphetamine, or maybe morphine. Her eyes were drawn back to the fight, as the man succeeded in killing the demon by breaking its neck, arms raised up to the sky in victory as the crowd cheered his name.

"Gú! Gú! Gú! Gú!"

Gú** looked towards the short man (dubbed Creep), who nodded, and gestured towards a side door that she hadn't noticed, Gú leaving the pit so that minions could drag away the body of the demon to be burned. Creep stood up, and gestured for the crowd to be silent. Surprisingly, they shut up pretty quick, and Cho noticed a few Lesser Demons within the crowd, and a couple of Upper Demons standing behind Creep.

"Demons, friends, allies. Tonight is a night of celebration! For we have at last secured the safety of our brethren, and our future as leaders of the supernatural world! BEHOLD!"

Through the doors opposite Cho, a rather ragtag group of people were pushed into the arena. One was a boy with, oddly, grey hair, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. Another was a man with long hair tied back in a ponytail, a Vajra held in his hand, and beads around his wrist. There was….Madoka and Tajo, which meant that the tallest man who had his back to her was…

"Uncle Koujo." She whispered.

"These researchers, exorcists and spiritualists have long since been a bane to our continued existence on this plane, and we shall not stand for it any longer! Shall I read you a list of their crimes?"

The roar from the crowd drowned out any words Cho might have shouted then, as she silently willed her uncle to turn and look her way, notice her, tell her everything was going to be alright. She felt Rose slip a hand into hers, her own guards having stepped away sometime in the past minutes, and that they were alone in the little corridor that led down into the arena.

"The murder of our kin! Displacement, exorcisms, arrests, and even the destructions of our holy books! In return, their punishment is DEATH!"

The crowd went wild, and many Lesser Demons took on a solider form than usual, as if itching for a fight.

"None so more deserving, than KOUJO LIN! He who is also known as YIN!"

Cho swallowed heavily as the name generated hisses and growls, angry shouting, and a bloodthirsty vibe. She started to shake uncontrollably. She knew that her uncle had a less than stellar past, but hearing about the darker supernatural side…made her feel ill.

"But we also have another special guest. And with this single blow, my friends, the Lin Clan shall be no more."

.

Cho and Rose were shoved out into the pit, and she had to blink suddenly at the white lights that shone down upon them. Rose clutched her hand tighter, and Cho found herself wishing for a knife, an axe, a _bo_ , anything that would help her get out of the next ten or so minutes alive. Then her uncle turned around, face pale and resigned, but not yet defeated, and Cho realized two things in that instant.

Her uncle would go down fighting, and she'd be damned if she didn't honour her Clan by doing the same.

"Begin!"

Trapdoors opened, and Cho pushed Rose behind her, even as Uncle Tajo tossed them both a spare knife, and the ponytail dude started to chant something, while Madoka started to grin like a maniac, fingernails lengthening, and sharpening, eyes wild.

.

Then there was nothing but a dance, and one she knew all too well.

.

* * *

.

Ayako paced.

Six, turn, six, turn, seven, turn, seven, turn, six.

Pause. Stare at door.

Six, turn, six, turn, seven, turn, seven, turn, three.

They should have been back over an hour ago, and Ayako was starting to get worried. Mark was sitting next to John, carding a hand through blonde hair, and muttering underneath his breath. He had scouted the hallway before, quickly, and had found no sign of them. Their radios were only producing static, and she was getting antsier as time went on. Masako hadn't woken up yet, and the two shiki that Lin had left them- Iyaka and Nomi- were sitting by the doors, absolutely still, the only sign that they were alive-ish was the twitch of their fox tails and a flick of their ears.

"I'll try to exorcise him."

Mark broke the silence, and Ayako turned on him, resolve set.

"What do you need?"

.

* * *

.

John swore as a claw caught him, and Briathos swung a sword, cutting the offending paw off the demon, who howled, while John hissed through his teeth as acidic blood splashed in his face. The tiger, whom had transformed into a humanoid and introduced himself as Hú, darted in to score a long cut deep on the demons side. They were winning, but it was slow going, and at a great cost. John could barely keep himself upright, and was running on fumes, while Briathos, already exhausted from his earlier battle, had golden ichor dripping down the side of his face and staining his robes on the right side. Hú was the freshest of them all, but even the shiki was tiring, and was bound to start making mistakes soon.

Hú yowled as the demon bit him on the shoulder, and Briathos charged in, sword swinging up high, before it cleaved down from above, a war cry torn from the angel's lips. The demon dove forward, and, dodging the sword, sunk its teeth into Briathos' thigh, the war cry choking off to a screech of pain that made John's ears hurt. Briathos slumped to the ground, hands trying to stem the sudden outpouring of ichor, and the demon smiled, stalking towards the now-helpless angel. Hú leapt towards the demon, who swatted the shiki aside as if he were merely a fly. John gritted his teeth, and stepped forward, swapping his knife to his left hand, and picking up the sword that Briathos had dropped. They had all been too careful, trying ot protect his mind as best as they could, but no more.

"Oi! Demon!" Surprisingly, that got it's attention. Now John was wishing that he'd paid more attention to planning, because his mind had just blanked on him, leaving him with the attention of a demon, a sword he didn't know how to use, and a dying angel on the floor of his mind. They needed a miracle, and they needed one right now.

As if his prayer had been answered, a bright light started to repair the cracks in his mind (and didn't that phrase freak him out, just a little), and start to gather loosely around the demon. The demon paused, and Hú leapt backwards, just avoiding one of the tendrils that drifted near him.

Then the strands contracted, there was a howl of a dying animal, and John awoke to a splitting headache, one of his brothers and Ayako hovering over him.

.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

As far as words to wake up to went, that was actually a common phrase when he was younger. Now that he was older, however, there was less of a chance of it being said, and more of a chance of simply having water dumped on him, or a snake shoved into his bed. Although, judging by the pitch and tone of voice, and the unique shade of blue, as well as the white streak in the hair, it was Mark.

Shit.

It was Mark. In Japan. At his job. In Japan.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Mark growled, hands clenching and unclenching, as if he were imagining strangling John, or perhaps using him as a punching bag.

"I work here. You however, should still be in Australia. Does D…Peter know that you're here? Come to drag me 'back into the fold'?"

Mark looked a little taken aback at the venom that expunged from John's mouth, and Ayako looked as though someone had slapped her. John sighed, and closed his eyes.

"Sorry. Rough night."

"Rough night?" Mark repeated, incredulous. "Rough night? What the actual fuck do you know about rough nights?! I have flown for more than 24 hours, on the smallest plane imaginable in a miniscule seat with no leg room whatsoever, next to a snivelling little kid and his mum who refused to do something about his tendency to scream and crawl all over you. I am jetlagged, crammed six years' worth of Japanese into my brain, and arrived at the place where my contact said you might be, only to find that you work for Oliver Davis, and that you were on a case! I was then shoved into a car with a guy who hardly shaves and drives like he should be in NASCAR, was attacked by demons as soon as I entered the gate, thought you were dead, and then come in here only to find that you have, in fact, been possessed by a psychopath, who was very difficult to get rid of, by the way, and where is the gratitude?! Huh?! So, John Malachi Brown,' Mark leaned in, and John's breath caught as he took in the frustration, the fear and the exhaustion that plagued his older brother, '…do not speak to me of rough nights."

John, suitably chastined, nodded his head, eyes downcast. He was taken aback, however, when he was suddenly lifted by the front of his shirt (his legs were a little wobbly, dammit), and pulled into a tight hug, his brothers leather jacket carrying the scent of engine oil, sea salt and _home._

"You little shit." Mark repeated, but this time held an undercurrent of fondness, and John found himself blinking back tears, and pressing his face into Mark's shoulder just a little bit deeper, and his arms tightening just a fraction. Mark merely held him closer, and John swore that he heard the _'click'_ of a phone camera going off, and a soft ' _aww'_ from someone, b ut he dismissed it in favour of closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I missed you." He mumbled into Mark's shoulder, and Mark chuckled, his shoulders shaking and sounding a bit wet when he replied.

"I missed you to, squirt. Don't ever pull a stupid stunt like this again, you hear?"

"Yes, Mark." John muttered, rolling his eyes, and Mark pulled away, eyes scanning his face for something, or as if he were drinking in the sight of his younger brother after…three?...four years?

"By Michael, you've grown." Mark breathed, and John felt a little uncomfortable at his brother's intense gaze, and squirmed, Mark's hands feeling heavy all of a sudden.

"Um…yeah? Don't people normally grow? I mean, you last saw me when I was…"

"John. You're blabbering." John flushed.

"Shut up. Prick."

"Bastard."

"Not that this isn't cute,' Ayako broke in, 'but the others still haven't returned."

"That's because they have been taken captive." John spun around towards the door, hand going for his knife, to face a rather vicious looking man, with beady eyes and sharpened teeth. The image was ruined, however, by the rather large potbelly that hung over elasticated pants, and the overall lack of hygiene. The man leered at Ayako, who gritted her teeth, and her fingers twitched towards her handbag. Masako was still asleep on the couch, and the man moved towards her, fat fingers reaching out to caress a stray lock of hair.

"Much like you will be,' he continued, bending down to be closer, inhaling; John bit his lip in an effort not to cuss the bastard out, 'my Master will be very pleased with this one. The hag and the foreigners will be a lesser price, I'm sure."

.

When asked about it in the debriefing later, John would admit to missing quite a lot of it. He did recall Ayako throwing her handbag with deadly accuracy to hit the slime-ball in the back of the head, and Masako snapping her eyes open, breaking the man's wrist and then doing something around the general neck area that caused him to collapse as a drooling, twitching mess on the floor. Mark, by that point, had noticed the two demons that had followed them in and dispatched them in a timely manner, while John had been waylaid momentarily by a human sidekick, who, despite starting off quite well in fisticuffs with flailing hands and feet, dropped like a brick after the first punch.

The resigned expression, as well as the ' _holy-Lord-this-is-all-too-messed-up-for-me-to-deal-with-in-the-morning'_ face, seemed to be permanently engraved on Oliver's face. The matching expression of ' _when-did-this-become-our-normal'_ on Mai's face was hilarious to witness, considering that she was one of the newish members to the supernatural and paranormal community.

.

* * *

.

Monk had to admit, this was not how he imagined this case would end. Sure, there was a little bit of unusualness in some of them, but participating in a ring fight against demons? Not on his list of things to do. Ever. He had paired up with Tajo at some point, Madoka drifting over to help Yasu about 30 seconds in. The two girls, which he assumed was Lin's niece and a friend, (girlfriend? Did Madoka mention something about that?) had gone to assist Lin, who was currently pinned down by a gate, but was killing demons faster than they were sent at him. Indeed, many of them had started targeting Tajo and himself, thinking them the easier targets, but Monk had more than a decade of martial arts under his belt (despite the fact that he hardly ever used it) and Tajo was…hard to keep up with. Madoka herself was a blur of movement, and Yasu was holding his own pretty well.

Hell. Did Lin just _use his teeth_ to kill a demon? His mind drifted back to the Konju case, and, in particular, the nickname Lin had been gifted with in the rings; Wildcat. He certainly fought like one, and his niece did as well, little tendrils of fire dancing around her fingertips and burning anything that…wait, what?

"Houshou!" Tajo yelled, and Monk ducked, missing the swipe, only to receive a blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He doubled over, wheezing, as Tajo fought to keep him covered. There was a sudden pressure on his back, a battle cry roared in Chinese, and he looked up, seeing Lin twist in the air, and throw a knife at the one whom had spoken.

The man caught the knife, and smirked as Lin rolled awkwardly on the landing, his shirt ripping at the sides, as the man started to laugh; high, cackles that reminded Monk of a hyena.

"Fool! You really think you could have…urgk!" His monologue cut off, and he toppled forward, rolling down the steps a few times, before the momentum carried him over the railing and into the pit. A knife poked out of his back, inconspicuous in the fact that it seemed to be a rather large kitchen knife. Monk looked at Lin, who seemed as puzzled as he was, until a woman with midnight coloured skin stepped out, followed by a another woman, this one with short, choppy blonde hair and amber coloured eyes. A few demons howled, and many of them disappeared as their link to that plane vanished. The dark woman stepped forward.

"Hello, Koujo." She purred. "Long time no see."

Monk blinked as Koujo seemed to sag in exhaustion, breathing heavily.

"Kasumi. About time you got here."

.

* * *

.

Tajo was driving, not that he minded. In the rear view mirror, he could see Koujo and Cho, curled up on the backseat together, blissfully asleep. Rose was sitting next to Madoka in the middle row, talking quietly, while Monk was in the front, next to him. Because Yasu had brought his car, they had been able to split most of the equipment equally, thus allowing more room for passengers. He had it on good authority from Masako (passenger in Yasu's car) that the Lin/Cho cuteness was echoed by John and Mark, both brothers dead on their feet and sleeping soundly enough for two weeks and more.

Tajo had been the least injured out of them all, and had volunteered to drive, after the women whom had introduced themselves as Professor Ying and Kasumi had decided to help clear up. Ying had handed 6 slim books to Koujo, and Tajo recognised the pictures on the front, and the writing on the inside. The last 6 books of his sister, found in a locked office on the fourth floor, belonging to the director. The entire place had been cleansed in fire; there were too many portals to close down by themselves, and many of the spirits were eternally bound to the building. The new owner had agreed, and had even let them light the fire.

"Tajo?" Houshou dragged out, his eyes fixed on the road in front.

"What?"

"How the hell are we going to explain this one to Naru?"

.

.

* * *

.

*- Death Match

**- Falcon

(According to Google Translate)

.

 **Wow. What a monster. Read, REVIEW, and tell me what you want to see next. Reviews make me update faster!**


	20. The Good, the Bad and the Ghostly

**Well, terrible, terrible updating, but if you bother to read this, then you'll know why. On June 1** **st** **, 2017, Tori's brother committed suicide. I had already written the previous chapter and so was able to post it, and…to be honest, neither of us felt like writing much as we negotiated through our grief; Tori lost a brother, and I lost a very good friend.**

 **After that, I was fortunate enough to go to Europe for a month (I felt like a twat leaving though), and I had no access to my laptop at the time. I returned to a full time job and having to decide which university to attend (if I go at all), and had very little time for writing, as it were.**

 **.**

 **The point of this is…if you are having a hard time, or you can't find the will to go on…talk to someone.** ** _Seek help_** **, and have strength. Look to those around you, and have courage to speak up. It's ok to ask for help.**

 **Enough of me, enjoy the story.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

.

"Mansions." Mai muttered angrily as she turn another wrong turn. "Why is it always mansions? Why can't it be something simple, like a small house or a garden shed? No, it has to involve dozens of stairs just waiting for someone to be pushed down them, an impossible amount of rooms, and these _damn endless hallways!"_ She shouted the last part, feeling a little better, but still completely lost. Behind her, Maya sniggered into her hand and slung a roll of cord around her shoulders.

"If it's not these bloody mansions (western style as well) or damn multi-story buildings, it's schools. So much angst, and irritating students who are always ' _woe is me!'_ and refused to be sent on, resulting in a waste of time for all of us, and nothing but a headache for a week afterwards. I mean, can't they just accept the fact that they're dead and move on? Is it really that hard?"

"Mai, you're ranting."

"And you…" Mai spun around, and pointed a finger at her twin, "Are supposed to be on my side!"

"Only when ghosts, spirits and demons are involved, Mai. Other than that, you're fair game."

Mai huffed, turned a corner, and slammed into a wall, letting loose a few words that had Maya raising her eyebrows in admiration, before frowning at the blocked off corridor.

"That's…not on the map." She commented. Mai swore some more.

"We'll have to tell Koujo. Damn it all."

"Do my ears detect foul-mouthedness in the halls, brother mine?"

"Indeed they do, brother dear. But surely it cannot be coming from either of these two lovely visions standing in front of us? Such filth could not have been spilled forth from such a pure vessel."

Mai muttered something unsavoury under her breath, and Maya turned towards the speakers.

"Do I know you?" She asked, voice flat and face blank. The Diablo Brothers (imports from England) stood leaning against opposite walls, identical smirks on their faces, which only grew wider when she spoke to them. Mai spoke up from where she was examining the floor.

"Don't encourage the bastards, Maya. You didn't see what they did at the briefing."

"Oh?"

"Let's just say even Yasu got annoyed at them."

"Your words are daggers to my heart, o fair maiden." The one on the left clutched at his chest, and the twins rolled their eye in unison. The one on the right looked them both up and down in a way that made Maya want to punch him, and then frowned.

"Two lovely ladies such as yourselves shouldn't be wandering around on your lonesome in a place like this. Did you get separated from your group?"

"We can take care of ourselves." Mai snapped, standing up and turning to face them, arms crossed. "So piss off."

Maya gave her sister a concerned look. Mai had been acting irritated ever since she had come back from briefing; snapping, ranting, and ignoring everyone, including her boss/partner/boyfriend/whatever. Koujo and Madoka had been at a loss as to what had caused it, and Yasu was just plain confused, while Naru (he'd told her to call him that, weird) had the whole 'I'm-concerned-but-I'll-give-you-space' vibe going on. Really, the lot of them were useless when it came to talking with others about their feelings. Not that she was much better, though.

The one on the left shrugged.

"If you're in trouble, scream. We'll try to make it on time." Mai gave him an overly sweet smile.

"Only if you promise to do the same." Both of the brothers looked a little unnerved, and Maya took the opportunity to get the hell out of Dodge.

"If you gentlemen would excuse us…"

She grabbed Mai's hand, and dragged her down the hall, ignoring her sister's protests that she hadn't finished. When she deemed that they were a safe distance away, she slammed Mai into the wall, holding her in place with a forearm across her chest.

"What the actual hell is wrong with you, Mai? You've been in a bad mood ever since you got out of briefing, and you've been taking it out on everyone around you. Hell, even Naru has noticed, and quite frankly, it's starting to annoy me. So what the fuck is going on with you?"

Mai deflated, and pushed Maya away, staring down the hallway.

"It's fine, I can handle it." Maya scoffed, and moved to stand next to her sister.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you, Mai. You were never really good at keeping things in."

Mai sighed, and slumped to the floor, arms folded on top of her knees. Maya joined her.

"Minami Psychic Research is here, as are the Grey Sisters. The Grey Sisters are rivals of Masako's, and often…well…antagonize Masako, so most of the time Masako will be in a bad mood, and I have to room with her. Minami Psychic Research…the first time we met them, they had someone pose as Naru, which was stupid. Then they backed out early, after one of their assistants went missing, and we never saw them again. Now they're here, and their stupid stalker of a 'research assistant' and was making creepy eyes at me for the entire briefing, and…."

"You're worried that he might do something, or that Naru might find out." Maya guessed. Mai slumped further, and mumbled "Yeah," into her arms.

"What happens if Naru finds out?"

"He'll probably kill the guy. If Lin finds out, then he'll make his life miserable for all eternity."

"Okay." Maya dragged out. "And what happens if stalker guy does something stupid?"

"Naru will kill him, and Lin will make his life miserable for all eternity. Monk and Yasu as well."

Maya huffed, and stared at the wall opposite, frowning.

"Any way you can avoid him?"

"Yeah, I can go home."

Maya sighed, and her head fell back to thunk onto the wall behind her.

"So, a mess."

"Yep."

The twins sat there in companionable silence, before they were interrupted by the sound of Mai's phone. They both shared an irritated glance, Maya pushing herself upwards, each silently promising to finish the conversation later.

"Taniya…Naru! You could have just…yeah, actually, it was stupid. No, we're coming back soon…breathe…yes, I'm fine, just needed some air. See you soon."

"Your boyfriend rings you to tell you to come back to base?" Maya frowned. Mai shook her head.

"Only if I'm completely lost."

"So…ninety-seven percent of the time." Maya smirked, and Mai shot upwards.

"Hey! Wait, only ninety-seven?" Maya's smirk widened.

"One percent asleep, two percent…unconscious."

Maya dodged the fist that Mai threw at her, and re-examined the map, marking a spot where the unexpected wall was.

"Come on, we should get back and give Lin this. Also, possibly alert Yasu and…John, was it? About the stalker guy. Just in case, you know, it comes back to bite us."

"Just Ayako and Masako." Mai shook her head. "He broke John's ribs, so John won't be happy to see him. Oh, and Madoka, since she's technically leading this one."

"Right." Maya was a little sceptical that the selected people wouldn't blab; Ayako would inevitably tell Monk, and Madoka would most likely tell Lin as soon as she found out. Lin would tell Naru out of principle, Monk would tell John and Yasu, Madoka would also tell Tajo (who had joined them on this one; it was a massive case and they needed as much help as they could get), so it was only a matter of time before someone called Mai on it, and that meant that she would get into trouble. But, if, she took it…the exact same thing would happen, and then Ruka would probably get dragged into it, and everyone at Outcasts would hear of it, and she'd never be able to live it down…yeah, Mai was taking this one.

"Such a pity Mark isn't here." Maya muttered. The older Brown was definitely more sympathetic towards such cases (he'd been in one, after all), and would have proved invaluable, but he had headed home in order to quell suspicions by his own father (now that was a mind-bender and a half), and to also alleviate his other siblings worries about the youngest.

Mai snorted. "Now wasn't' that an interesting back story. Almost as good as ours."

"Wonder who will be next?" Maya mused, bumping her twin's shoulder. "My money is on either Takigawa or Matsuzaki."

"Eh, Ayako's is pretty simple. She told us that a tree spirit outside of her parent's hospital told her things, and it all went from there, really. Her parents are currently trying to marry her off to some rich friends of theirs, all the while destroying her self-confidence and other fun stuff, while Ayako is safely ensconced within Monk's arms. The two of them can be disgusting together, really."

"I think it's cute." Maya countered, smiling lightly. "It's so rare to find couples like that in this business. Most are purely work-based. Others, like yours and Oliver's, gradually grow from that into something more." She ignored Mai's spluttering's, and turned a corner, sure that she was heading back to base. Her sense of direction…was screwed. Not only that, the Grey Sisters were gathered in the hallway they were about to head down, surrounding…oh. _Oh_. This would not do.

She extended her arm to stop Mai from walking around the corner, gesturing for her to be silent. Mai, thankfully, didn't question it, and instead peeked her head around the corner as Maya retreated, both doing their best not to be noticed as they shamelessly eavesdropped on the inevitable confrontation between the Grey Sisters and their greatest (to them, anyway) rival: Masako Hara.

.

"I don't believe that you were invited here personally, Ms Hara. Have you become so desperate for work that you must now lower yourself to work with _common_ investigators?"

"Perhaps it is because she is in between filming. Finding real work in this community is so very hard if you don't know the right people, after all."

"It is indeed fortunate to be able to work even between filming and studio work." Masako replied, deliberately (at least to Maya's ears) being obtuse and misinterpreting the layered barbs. "I am also very fortunate to be able to work with such a variety of different people with different talents. I have learnt much from them."

In other words, 'you are stupid in limiting yourselves to such a narrow field'. Maya doubted that any of the Grey Sisters could defend themselves if necessary, let alone identify the Nine Cuts or use any mantras. She admired the way Masako could twist anyone's words around until they ended up insulting themselves as well. She questioned whether the Grey Sisters knew they had been insulted at all. Beside her, Mai stifled a giggle, all but shoving her fist into her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly in her efforts not to be heard.

"But it is quality, not quantity, which is needed in this line of work. If you do not have quality…what use are you then?"

"And the third enters the fray." Maya hissed to Mai, eyes narrowing. Mai gritted her teeth, al mirth gone, and her eyes took on a dangerous glint.

"I am so going to push them down the stairs and claim it was a poltergeist."

.

"Perhaps the reason she works with lesser spiritualists is to surround herself with people that make her look good. Otherwise everyone would see her for what she truly is…"

"A failure!"

"A fraud!"

"Useless."

.

"That's it." Mai muttered, Maya trying to grab her sister before she did something stupid. She was not expecting her sister to start talking so loudly.

"Face it Maya, we're lost. Your 'innate sense of direction' has failed us once again." Maya caught on.

"Who was the one who wanted to chase after something that _wasn't even there_ , hn? 'Look Maya, there's a girl over there! We should go talk to her!' Fantastic idea."

They rounded the corner, clearly surprising the odd quartet despite the fact that anyone could have heard them coming. Mai blinked in faked surprise.

"Oh, hey Masako. Didn't see you there. Lin-san wants us back at base, but we can't seem to find it, thanks to _someone_ reading the map wrong."

Maya huffed, mock-offended.

"Don't listen to her Masako. She decided to run off after some spirit that only she could see, and I lost track of the doorways."

Masako's impassive face crinkled a little at the corners of her eyes, but that was the only motion that they could see. Mai gave the Grey Sister's a quick once over.

"Oh, the Grey Sister's, right? Are you all mediums?"

"That is correct." The one on the left answered haughtily. "No doubt you have heard of us?"

"Nope." Mai replied cheerfully, slinging an arm around Masako's shoulders, popping the 'p' sound. "Met you on a few cases ago, with…umm…" She turned to Masako.

"Was it the one when John ended up in the ICU, or was it the…weird one that involved Lin-san?"

"John ended up in the ICU after the malicious spirit attacked him and flirted with me." Masako replied. Maya blinked, before poking Mai in the shoulder.

"Story. Tell me. At base."

"Whatever. So, yeah, I guess I have kind of heard of you."

The Grey Sisters looked a little taken aback, before the one of the right looked down her ridiculously small nose at both Mai and Maya.

"So, why are _you_ with Shibuya Psychic Research? What can _you_ do?"

"Oh, I was one of the first employee's." Mai began. "I started with latent ESP, and it's kind of gone to Astral Projection and seeing into the past and all that."

"Not to mention the PK which showed up last year. That was irritating." Maya drawled.

"Not all of us can be mediums as well as…" Mai cut herself off, sounding as though she had been about to mention something she shouldn't have, when in reality, she had forgotten what else Maya could do.

"Anyway, we need to be getting back. Lin-san and Shibuya-sama do get impatient if we're late. Bye!" Mai dragged Masako down the hallway, Maya following close behind.

"Lord, those girls are complete…"

"Language, Mai." Maya interrupted. "Why didn't you say anything, Masako?"

"Because I can handle it." Masako shot back. Maya gave her the 'I-am-calling-bullshit-tell-the-truth' face that she had learnt from Koujo. Masako caved.

"No one has ever really stood up for me before in front of them. Thank you."

"Meh, what are friends for?" Mai chirped, Masako's face curiously blank; most likely in shock, Maya guessed. They set off towards base (Maya having realized where they were), Masako flanked by the two Taniyama sisters, an uneasy silence filling the space between.

.

"They resent me because I took the filming contract that they were after." Masako finally admitted, and Mai twitched. Maya knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Why those half-witted, air-headed, good-for-nothing bi…witches! That's the sole reason why? That's so stupid!"

"Intelligence isn't necessarily a factor for them." Masako stated, a slight waspish tone detectable to Maya's ears. "They got their current job based on looks alone, while I slaved for hours; studying to the point of obsession to protect myself from spirits who would possess me beyond what I wanted."

"Eh, Masako, you're pretty as well. And you can throw a punch, kick hard and react to a situation that has gone to hell, sometimes literally, so you're already better than them by miles." Maya commented. "Of course, let's add to the fact that your personality is far better than theirs."

Maya smirked in satisfaction as a light pink dusted across the mediums cheeks.

"Thank you, Maya. But Mai, why did you speak of Lin and Naru formally? You don't usually make the effort to on a case, let alone in the office."

"Oh, that." Mai grinned, bouncing in place. "I thought that if I made them sound scary, then the Stupid Sisters would be wary and over careful of them. Besides,' Mai scowled, unaware that she was doing so, 'the way they moon after Naru is disgusting. It makes me want to stab them with their own hair ornaments."

Masako and Maya exchanged an amused look, Masako clearly trying not to smile.

"Possessive, much? Does Naru know about this sudden streak of violence?" Maya needled, and Mai glared at them.

"Shut. Up."

"I'll take that as a no, then." Masako added, _sotto voce_.

"Argh!" Mai threw her hands up and stomped forward a few steps, turning right at the junction and disappearing from sight.

"Base is to the left!" Maya called after her, and there was a curse, before Mai stalked back the way she came, ignoring Masako's stifled giggles, and vanished down the correct hallway. The two girls waited until they heard a door slam, before bursting into laughter, Maya leaning on the wall in order to remain upright, Masako hiding her mouth behind her kimono sleeve, giggling uncontrollably, all upset over the Grey Sisters forgotten.

.

* * *

.

3 months. 3 months without a decent case, and Monk found that he had almost gone completely mad. Sure, he was busy and all, with his band picking up more and more gigs, and taking a small tour, and the numerous exorcisms that Lin sometimes pushed his way, under the table, that were quick and easy to deal with. Then there was the whole "Dr and Dr Matsuzaki vs. Dr Matsuzaki" drama that had made its way to his doorstep (of which, Ayako was embarrassed beyond belief, but Yuki had sorted it out), which meant that half of his wardrobe and drawers had Ayako's clothes in it, and his room was a lot tidier than he was used to. Hell, she'd even made him breakfast that other day, completely out of the blue, and they'd sat and ate it together, the sunlight streaming through the window. It had been terribly domestic, but he found that he couldn't mind. It was…it was a nice feeling. Considering that he hadn't expected to get a girlfriend since the last one cheated on him for months, this was different. But a good different.

But anyway, 3 months of milk-runs and rehearsals. When he'd gotten the text form Lin, he'd all but magicked his clothes into a duffle bag and shot out the door, Ayako hot on his heels. Thankfully, his band were pretty chill about his second job, and they had no gigs that week (hell, some of them even begged him for stories) so it was a matter of when they were leaving. Ayako had the amazing ability to rearrange everything in her schedule so that she could come (she had a very good friend who would cover her shift often, and most who worked there liked her more than her parents) and that was that. Equipment was packed into his car, along with Maya and Masako (Nollene staying behind with Madoka to cover the office, poor girl seemed to have issues with her PK at the moment) and off they went, the end destination some big Western mansion with a small wood out the back. Which meant, joy of joys, that the chances of someone being possessed and then dumped on their ass out in the middle of said forest with something unpleasant for company.

Not to mention that their client had gone ahead and contacted other groups, so it meant dancing the stupid dance of "let's try not to offend anyone with what we say and do" instead of doing what was necessary in order to complete the case as fast as possible. Ugh, but he hated Minami Psychic Research and their plebeian ways of trying to investigate, and the way they screwed up _everything._ Last time they had the misfortune of being in the same building for an investigation, one of their assistants had knocked over a camera, and then tried to fix it, ruining the calibration and causing Mai hours to fix it.

He also loathed the looks the Passé Sisters shot Masako when they thought she wasn't looking (and sometimes when she was), and the way they smirked behind their ugly looking kimono's, and the way they drooled every time Naru, John, Yasu or even _Lin_ walked past. It was disgusting, really. He just wanted to reached out and throttle their ditzy, painted…

.

"Houshou."

.

A light touch on his clenched fists drew him out of his reflections, and he turned to face Ayako, who was smirking at him, a light dusting of freckles across her nose that hadn't been there before this summer.

"Hmm?"

"Lin wants us to check the camera's on the third floor; something's started tin interfere with the recordings."

"Oh, goody." Monk slung an arm around Ayako's waist, his expression becoming just a smidgen smugger when she leaned in closer. They set off at a leisurely pace, no sense of urgency within their walk. It was nice, that they had the time to just…take a moment on a case, before everything went to hell in a handbasket. Normally, it was all go from the moment they stepped into the house, but today was Day 2, and it was all quiet.

It was just after he thought that that the lights flickered while they were on the staircase.

Ayako turned to look at him, giving him a _look_ , as if she knew what he'd been thinking just moments beforehand. Monk gave her a sheepish grin, and his fingers ghosted over his beads, Ayako pulling out a piece of paper and writing…something on it, before raising her hands in preparation to deliver the nine cuts.

.

The lights went out, and Monk remembered that he and Ayako were halfway up the staircase.

.

* * *

.

In base, Koujo watched the camera's with something close to alarm. He'd just lost visual on the third floor, the basement, and one of the rooms on the first floor. He could see the Diablo Brothers on the second floor, east side, examining a wall with intense scrutiny; one running his fingers along a rough rectangle about 1 metre x 2 metres, the other scanning the hallway, gun in hand, spooked by…something. Koujo didn't want to think about it.

Tajo, sitting next to him, was keeping his eyes on the first floor, west side, where Minami Psychic Retards were arguing about something; between a youngish looking man, about Naru's age, and an older one, a slight bit younger than Martin Davis. Whatever it was, it looked intense; arms flying and hands jerking in angry movements.

Koujo turned his attention back to the camera that faced the second floor stairwell. Monk and Ayako had gone up the stairs shortly before the lights went out, and he hadn't seen any sign of them since. Mai, Masako and Maya were all in base, while Naru and John were doing a walkthrough on the first floor, right underneath the Diablo Brothers. John was writing something down in a notebook, Naru crouched down by an old cabinet and saying something too low for Koujo to pick up in the microphones, John occasionally adding something. Naru must have touched something, Koujo thought, and seen something that was important to the case. There could be no other explanation why they were staying _in the middle of the danger zone._

His charge's idiocy/curiosity aside, the two of them needed to….

.

.

Second floor went dark.

A glow stick was snapped, illuminating the Diablo Brothers in an eerie green light, but that was it.

First floor, west side: blackout.

"Koujo." Tajo held up his headphones, and Koujo leaned closer, picking up indistinct whisperings and mutterings. None of it made sense, but Tajo had already hit record, so he could go over and dissect it later. First listen, it sounded male, overlapped by a frantic-sounding female, and then crying.

"I can't understand it." Koujo admitted, frowning. "It's not...it sounds like a mixture of languages, instead of just one. Mai,' he turned around, facing where the girls were hunting around for information, 'anything on the owners?"

"First guy was in a wheelchair, hence the ramps down into the basement. Other than that, no, there's not a lot to go on."

"Keep looking, something will turn up." Tajo encouraged, eyes fixed on the third floor monitors. "Something is moving on the third floor."

Koujo squinted at the screen, noticing that the light for motion capture was blinking.

"Could be Takigawa and Matsuzaki."

"Doubt it." Tajo replied. "They would have moved downwards, not up. Anything could push them at the top of the stairwell."

.

.

The entire first floor went dark, the monitors switching off as the power was cut. Koujo froze, Tajo immediately hooking their ankles together so that they would know that the other was there, snapping a glow stick with his hands; the yellow light doing very little to pierce the darkness.

"Sound off. Mai."

"Masako."

"Maya."

"Lin."

"Tajo."

.

.

There was silence, before someone… _other_ , spoke up, voice childlike and small.

.

" _Chie."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _._

 **As per usual, Read and Review, feed the box, receive brownie points, and overall just make my day.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra**


	21. A Slight Case of Murder

**Hi. This chapter is brought to you by Victoria, after she missed her flight and had to wait 4 hours for the next one (she's been commuting to Wellington for work every week). Slight editing by me (Siofra).**

 **Please, Read, Enjoy and Review. Drop a comment. Please.**

 **.**

* * *

.

CH21 - A Slight Case of Murder (Isn't it always?)

.

.

Oliver swore when the lights cut out. Honestly, as if it couldn't get any worse after he'd _accidentally_ brushed against something with his hands, seeing images blur past at speeds that made him nauseous (and unable to remember them, dammit), and then wake up lying on the floor with a very concerned John leaning over him and a raging headache. But no, Fate had to be a bitch and cut out the lights just as they were planning on heading back to base. His torch had flickered out as well, so it ruled out a power cut, and John had given his glow stick to Masako that morning. He could use his PK, but that would just alert every single spirit in the mansion to his location, and that would be a Very Bad Thing, for both of them.

The darkness was suffocating him (he'd always hated being in the dark, simply because of the things that would come out of it) and he could only just hear John's breathing (elevated: panicking slightly at the lack of light and senses) to the left of him, not close enough to see or even sense, but close enough to be heard. He started, then when someone grabbed his hand. It was odd that the Australian would do such a thing; they were both experienced in the ways of the For….ghost hunting and supernatural phenomenon, so why on earth would John seek out physical contact? Unless….

.

"John,' Oliver began, hating how his voice quavered slightly, 'please tell me that you just grabbed my hand."

The silence wasn't very reassuring.

"Is it malicious?" John whispered, the clink of glass indicating that he had removed his holy water from his jacket pocket. Oliver swallowed, taking note that the hand was cold (indicating lack of natural body heat, therefore a spirit, but the fact that it was tangible enough to grab his hand warranted some concern) and tiny, but before he could answer, a small voice piped up from his side.

"Shhh." It whispered, "He'll hear you."

"Who will?" Oliver asked, frowning.

"Um, Oliver?" John's voice sounded a little panicked, and Oliver glanced in his general direction (because he _still_ couldn't see), but he didn't need light to see the two glowing eyes at the end of the hallway, nor hear the drag of fur against carpet. He swallowed.

"Wasn't there a door next to you, John?"

A callused hand grasped his shoulder, and travelled downwards until it clenched his wrist in an iron grip, dragging him to the left as the eyes slowly started to focus on their position. Oliver didn't let go of the other hand, though, and it _felt_ as though he was dragging someone along, but he couldn't be sure whether he was hallucinating or having a lucid dream. Either way, he was conscious enough to remember to shut the door behind him (the thing holding his hand not getting in the way or taking up any space, thankfully. Although, his leg did feel rather cold), and just in time, as he heard the dreaded sound of heavy breathing (and yes, he didn't care what Nollene said, breathing could be malicious in sound) and claws scratching at the door. John's grip on his hand got tighter, and Oliver returned it, barely breathing in fear of letting the… _thing_ know where they were.

The breathing stopped outside the door. John and Oliver held theirs. There was the scratch of claws against wood, and a whuffing sound, as if the thing was scenting. Oliver felt, rather than saw John bite down on his knuckles. He didn't judge. He himself had covered his own mouth to prevent any sound leaking out. The claws scratched harder, and Oliver shut his eyes, vowing to himself that he would never again leave base without a flashlight, a pistol, a knife or a bazooka even for the rest of his life. No doubt John was thinking the same thing.

An age passed (or was it seconds?).

The claws stopped scratching, and the beast moved away.

Oliver let out the breath he'd been holding in slowly, his heart feeling as though it were about to burst out of his chest.

"That was close."

"Too close." John replied, sounding very close to his ear. Oliver opened his eyes, and saw John's sky blue's not far from his own. He frowned, and then took stock of the situation, finding…too close, John was too close. He jerked backward at the same time John did once he realised how… _intimate_ the space between them was. Unfortunately, the janitors cupboard (because of all things, that's what he ended up in? Typical), was _very_ small.

It was cramped, and plain nasty, to be honest. John's elbow was right up in his face, and Oliver was sure that he'd kneed the blonde in the stomach before. John's foot was stuck in a bucket, and Oliver's head continually hit a shelf full of chemicals, some of which sloshed ominously at him, as if threatening to spill all over him. It stunk of mice and mould as well. But whatever it was that had been roaming around seemed to have gone, leaving the two of them in the awkward position of being stuffed in a cleaning closet.

"We will,' he grunted as John head-butted him in the chin, 'never utter a word of this."

"Agreed." John muttered, one of his arms awkwardly wrapped around Oliver's waist in order to create more space. "I'm just hoping that no one opens the door anytime soon. Can you imagine the look on Yasu's face if he saw this?"

"No, but I can imagine Madoka's." Oliver grumbled. The spirit giggled, and Oliver turned to glare at it. "What?"

"There's a switch on the wall above the blonde's head. It opens the secret passage."

"And you didn't mention this before, why?" John muttered, sounding disgruntled. Oliver couldn't blame him.

"Because it was funny!" the spirit giggled, and Oliver near _snarled_ , trying to find the thrice-damned switch before anything else could happen to them. John shifted awkwardly in the tight space, reached up and fumbled along the shelf above Oliver, before something clicked, and they fell to the side, John landing on top of Oliver, groaning.

"I hate spirits." He wheezed, John muttering something that may have been an agreement or an apology, before he rolled off Oliver.

"Sorry."

"Don't mention it." Oliver coughed out. "Ever."

"No problem. Where the hell…?" Oliver sat up, and took in the dark surroundings. John, he could feel, was somewhere off to his left, and he himself was close to a wall.

"Got a light?" Oliver joked, adrenaline finally leaving his system and leaving him slightly light-headed. John gave a shaky laugh, and Oliver remembered, from all those cases ago, what John's deepest fear was. _Daemonophobia._ And it was more than likely that they were dealing with one.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." John's answer didn't really reassure him, and he snorted in disagreement.

"Bullshit, Brown. You're still hyperventilating." It was true, John's breaths were still coming in quick, short gasps, but they were quitter, and Oliver could only just pick them up under the sound of his own gasps.

" **It's just…demons, ya know? I hate the bastards**." Oliver ignored the slip back into English (but noted it down anyway) and sat up, stifling a sneeze at the puffs of dust that rose around him.

"Where to from here, then?" He sighed, drifting his eyes up to where he thought the ceiling might be. "I'm not keen on fumbling along the walls until we get somewhere else, in case we end up stumbling into a fighting ring infested with demons." John snorted.

"You're never going to let him live that down, are you?"

"Nope. It's about time I had some blackmail material on him."

They sat in silence, the spirit long gone (thank goodness, because Oliver wasn't sure if he'd exorcise the thing on the spot next time it spoke, regardless if he would collapse afterwards or not), Oliver's brain whirring through a dozen different ways of producing light that wouldn't injure anyone, including himself. He had tried, once as a kid, to make a globe of light in his hand, but it had expanded and exploded within twenty seconds, and he'd been charged not to try it again by everyone, except Gene, who had wanted to see if they could recreate it to change colours.

The silence was broken by John exclaiming ' _Briathos'_ and clicking his fingers.

His hand immediately burst into flame, and John yelped, Oliver scooting backwards until his back it the wall of an illuminated narrow corridor to avoid the now flailing arms as John tried to extinguish his hand, looking a little spastic as he did so.

"It won't go out!" John panicked, and Oliver stifled a laugh as he examined the flames closer. Not the typical red/yellow/orange mish-mash of regular flames, these were almost a pure, pale blue tinged with white and a speck of gold in the middle…Lord, he was staring at Holy Fire. Did it have adverse effects on mortals who weren't possessed? Was he going to lose his eyesight? He shook his head, aware that somewhere, Gene was calling him an ' _idiot scientist'_ just for thinking about it.

"Calm down, John."

"You try calming down when your hand is on fire!" John snapped. Oliver raised an unimpressed eyebrow, unaware of the spooky effect the Holy Fire gave it.

"Think, John. Is your hand actually burning? Are you in agonizing pain? Do you have a sudden need to create one ring to rule them all?" John stopped flailing, and stood still for a minute, staring at his hand.

"No." he muttered sullenly, glaring at nothing in particular. Oliver had the feeling that 'Briathos' was probably laughing his head off, and John was shouting at him. Dual inhabitation of the mind was tricky like that. Oliver looked around instead, taking in the old wooden beams and the grey walls, the floor coated in dust and their body-prints laid out neatly where they had landed. The whole place smelt musty and damp, and Oliver hoped that the ceiling didn't crash down on them because of rot.

"This is old." John murmured, running his hands along the wall. "Very old. Most likely the original house."

"Which means that the current one was built over it."

"Like Urado's mansion." John surmised. Both men shuddered, and Oliver stood up, his head not-quite brushing the ceiling.

"Let's get out of here."

"No arguments there, mate. This place gives me the creeps."

They set off down the hallway, watching very carefully where they stepped, the dust rising in puffs around their ankles, and divine light guiding them.

.

* * *

.

Mai sucked in a sharp breath, Maya's fingernails digging into her thighs.

"I can't see her."

"Show yourself." Mai called. "Don't be shy! We won't hurt you." She heard Lin mutter something under his breath, and a glow stick was snapped, the lighting reminding Mai of that time that she told ghost stories with her classmates by torchlight.

"I don't want to." The voice uttered. "He might see me."

"Who might see you?" Masako coaxed, voice soothing. There was silence, and Mai thought that the spirit had disappeared for good, before a small whisper broke the expectant silence.

"Grandfather. He's…not well."

"Not well how?" Tajo queried. The silence came back, and Tajo hastened to reassure the spirit. "I'm a doctor, perhaps I can help?"

"The men in white coats would come, but father would send them away again after they visited Grandfather. Grandfather would mutter to himself, and shout at people who weren't there. Satoru and I were told to stay away from his rooms, but we could still hear him shouting at people."

"What did he say?" Tajo's voice had an odd sort of quality to it, and it made Mai want to curl up next to him and tell him all her troubles and worries, knowing that he'd make her feel…better. Damn, she didn't know that you could do _that_ with PK. Perhaps it was just PKLT and the effect it had on living things. Hell, she needed Naru here for this; she didn't understand half of the stuff that went on with PK, despite her training.

"He'd shout in a different language sometimes, and the house would get cold all of a sudden."

Mai could see a faint outline, the spirit being coaxed out into the open. It looked small. _Too small._ From Masako's sudden indrawn breath, she could tell that the medium noticed it too. So did everyone else.

"Did anything else happen? Did you see strange things in the house?" Tajo coaxed. The outline became clearer; a dress, or a nightgown, and long hair.

"There were too many shadows. And Satoru claimed that he could see eyes watching from the corners of the house. Then…."

The spirit trailed off, and the outline flickered dangerously, as if it were a candle in the wind about to be extinguished, and Mai felt as though she were drowning in syrup, or even cake mixture.

"Then…." Lin dragged out, encouraging (in his own way) the spirit to continue. The spirit drifted towards the window, becoming more visible as she got closer to the glass, until Mai could see her reflection.

"I don't remember much. I was playing outside with Satoru, and Mama had called us in for dinner. Papa was there, home from a business trip, and our 2 Aunts. We were waiting on Grandfather to join us. When he did, he looked feverish and pale, and he kept muttering. His carer, to, looked pale and wan, as if he'd had the life sucked out of him."

Chie lifted her spectral hand and placed it on the window.

"He had. It was a construct of water. The carer collapsed into mist during dessert, and…Grandfather laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh."

Mai leaning forward in anticipation. It was surely going to end in tragedy, sure, but it was just so…fascinating. The ghost stories she used to tell with her friends back in a classroom after school were dull, compared to the actual events that spirits could tell. It was probably rather morbid of her to find them so fascinating, but she was a Ghost Hunter. Morbid came with the job.

"He started talking about how he had discovered his true purpose to being here in this life, and how he was going to reshape the world in their image, for them to rule. Papa yelled at him to stop being so de-loo-shon-al, and Mama was screaming about the carer being water and demanding to know what had happened to him, and Grandfather shouted something. It was a Word, and it was loud and ugly and it hurt my ears and Satoru started to cry, and then all the lights went out. There was growling and screams, and when the lights came up….Mama and Papa were dead."

Chie trembled, and disappeared for a few seconds, before reappearing.

"There was so much blood. It was everywhere. And Grandfather just…laughed. He just sat there and laughed…covered in Mama's blood…and his eyes…"

"Honey,' Tajo began, 'you don't have to continue if you don't want to."

"No, I will." Chie straightened, and turned to face them. Mai withheld a gasp at the long scar that bisected her otherwise very pretty face. She placed age range around 7-10 years, and the girl had what looked to be large scar patches all over her arms and legs. Burn marks?

"It was very dark, and very cold. Grandfather locked us in a room somewhere, and he left…Satoru disappeared after three days, and I didn't know where he was. There was a sudden flash of fire, and my face burned…then I was free, and I found myself drifting through the house. It was cold, and I wasn't in any more pain."

"How awful." Mai murmured to Masako, heart clenching. Chie looked at her.

"My death was…"

" _Chie! He's coming! Hide_!" a boyish voice hissed, before a swirl of white shot through the room, and Chie vanished, the lights flickering back on for a few seconds, then winking out.

Mai heard a vague mutter of annoyance from Tajo, but it was silenced by a banging on the wall next to her. Mai scooted closer to Masako, hands raised and ready to chant. She felt Masako unsheathe a knife and pull one of Ayako's wards out of a hidden pocket, while Maya, so far quiet (Mai had forgotten that she was there, actually) let a few strands of light flicker over her fingers like an electrical current. A _click_ of the safety being released on a gun, and the ring of steel sliding against steel, while the glowstick never wavered in its light.

The banging continued, and Mai strained her ears, frowning as she picked up voices. The banging seemed to be coming from one spot, near the rather hideous vase in the corner opposite the monitors. It grew in intensity, before….

.

The entire wall flew out, shattering the vase and coating that part of the room in a white dust, and two figures stumbled out, coughing and hacking. The glowstick lit them in a very flattering shade of green, and one had a small fire burning in the palm of his hand. It was a strange looking fire; not yellow or red, but cool and silver and…Masako threw her knife, and another shot towards the two figures. One ducked, the other twisted, and the fire winked out, but Lin (who Mai deduced held the gun) fired two shots. The bullets, when they hit them, exploded into a gold burst, and the one on the left dropped, cursing.

"What the actual _fuck_ , Lin?"

"Noll?"

"Naru?" Mai blinked, suddenly very glad she hadn't used the Nine Cuts on him. She daren't think about what Naru might have done to her then. Wait, if it was Naru, then that must mean that…

"John?" Masako threw in, and there was a light giggle from John.

"Heeeyyyy everyone! Surprise! Who feels great? I feel fantastic, thanks for asking!" John giggled again, a little higher and maniacal, and Mai and Masako exchanged wary looks.

"What was in those bullets?" Naru demanded, his own voice sounding a little wobbly.

"Specialty bullets for exorcising spirits, why?"

"Noll, I feel dizzy." John leant heavily on Naru, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "And very…light and summery."

"Did you just quote 'The Scarlett Pimpernel'?" Naru muttered, dragging John over to the opposite couch.

"They seek him here, they seek him there…" John broke off into giggles. "I don't know what was in those bullets, but it made Briathos _reeeaaallllly_ happy. Singing and all." John broke into the Hallelujah Chorus, sounding very nice, Mai noted, before breaking down into giggles once again. Lin coughed.

"I'm…sorry?"

"He was in shock before. Ran into a demon and set his hand on fire." Naru explained. "Is everyone alright?"

Mai nodded, John restarting to sing under his breath, before something occurred to her.

.

"Where's Monk and Ayako?"

.

* * *

.

.

Ayako was not having a very good time. Neither was Monk, but it was all in the details. The lights had gone out when they were halfway up the stairs, and Ayako immediately dragged Monk to the side, not knowing is whatever was waiting for them was at the bottom of the stairs or the top. Monk followed her lead without protesting, tucking himself around her and making them as small as possible. If whatever extinguished the lights was after them, their best bet was to pray that it passed them by. Spiritually, they didn't have the power to take on anything without backup.

An eerie wailing drifted through the hallway, and Ayako shivered, curling tighter into a ball as the temperature dropped. She could see small particles of ice forming on the wall next to her, and Monk pressed his face closer to hers, drawing his jacket over both of them.

The temperature continued to drop at the wailing got closer and closer, until it was at the very top of the stairs. Ayako didn't dare to look, afraid of what she'd see.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pale figure drift closer, and then stop on the middle of the stairs, parallel to them.

Monk gripped her hand, and traced _'run'_ on her palm. Ayako nodded fractionally, and braced her muscles, hands at the ready.

.

3

.

2

.

1

.

The spirit looked at them, scarlet eyes bright and jagged teeth dripping blood; twisted memory of a human spirit.

.

Monk pushed her, and Ayako threw the Nine Cuts, before sprinting back towards base, Monk hot on her heels and chanting under his breath, before grabbing her hand and pulling her along, urging her to go faster.

There was an enraged shriek behind them, and Ayako lost one of her shoes, stumbling, before she kicked the other one off and moved faster, keeping pace. They spun around one of the banisters and raced down the next flight of stairs, the spirit seemingly right behind them.

Monk let out an ' _oof_ ' as he collided with someone, Ayako skidding to a stop, before grabbing one of the Diablo Brothers.

"Move it." She snapped at him, dragging him along. Thankfully, he complied, helping his brother up and pushing him in front. There was an unearthly _screech_ , and the brother who she helped grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an open doorway, slamming it shut behind Monk and tossing a vial of water on it.

Behind the door, the apparition screamed in rage, and continued down the hallway in search of its next victim. Ayako huffed, bent over her knees and trying to regain her breath.

"Thanks." She gasped out, and one of the brothers snapped a glowstick (useful, those. Spirits didn't affect chemical reactions), shrugging.

"Thank you. If you hadn't dragged us along, we probably would have joined the freak show in deathly haunting. I'm Ed, that's Al."

"Ayako."  
"Monk."

"Say, aren't you with the um….the twins and that medium kid?" 'Ed' asked. Ayako frowned.

"Mai, Maya and Masako?"

"The ones who hate the Grey Sisters and Minami Psychic." 'Al' clarified from his place sprawled out on the floor, Monk next to him leaning against an armchair.

"Yep." Monk answered, "That's us. Shibuya Psychic Research, or SPR."

"We met on a few cases back." Ed elaborated. "James? No, John, was a friend of ours when we went through home school. Chatted a lot online, poor kid. Stuck with his father."

"Not anymore." Ayako protested. "He lives with one of our researchers now. His brother Mark visited a few months ago. And I wouldn't say hate…"

"Loathe? Dislike with a deep and powerful passion?" Monk offered. Ayako scowled at him with no real heat.

"What was that…thing that chased us?" Al asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

Ayako and Monk exchanged glances.

.

"Pray you never will again." Monk uttered. "That was a twisted soul, hell-bent on death and pain. If there was anything human in it once upon a time, it's gone now."

.

The lights flickered back on, and Ayako winced as the light hit her eyes, blinding her for a moment, before her eyes adjusted, and she gasped as she took in the Diablo Brother's base.

.

"What on earth have you been doing?"

.

.

 **You see that box down there, to your right? The one that says "Comment"? 30 seconds is all it takes. Feed the box. Save an author's life.**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Siofra and Victoria**


	22. Dead Man Stalking

**Wow. This...is a very long chapter. Contains swearing,** **stalker-isms** **and creepiness. Maybe. You have been warned...NOW READ! READ AND REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS! I NEEED THEM TO SURVIVE!**

 **.**

 **Please?**

 **.**

 **Meh, enjoy.**

.

* * *

CH22- Dead Man Stalking

.

* * *

.

"Writing. Writing and drawing all over the walls. Faces, names, symbols, theories and some wild guesses at what the original inhabitants of the house ended up as." Monk paused to take a sip of his tea, exhaling heavily as it soothed him. "One of them, Edward I think, looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept a wink since he got here. Since we're not dealing with demons this time around, they decided to head home. Their base was partially packed, and they were in the hallway to remove a salt line or something."

Naru paused in his writing, and tapped his pen against his chin.

"Interesting that they would come to that conclusion so early."

"You saw on the monitors what chased us." Monk pointed out. "And the thing that stalked you and John. Not necessarily supernatural. Besides,' Monk grinned,' those Grey Sisters seem to follow them around quite a lot."

Monk hide his smile behind a sip of tea as Naru shuddered and muttered something unsavoury in English about the Grey Sisters, his constant shadows whenever he stepped out of base. It was like they had a 'Kazuya-Shibuya RadarTM' that went off the moment he walked through the door. It was also hilarious (not that he would admit it) to see Mai so flustered about the Grey Sisters and Naru. Maybe it was because they were in a professional setting, and Mai and Naru had obviously talked about their actions while on a case. Outside base, they were polite and cordial, inside they liked to sit close to each other on the couch and read through files and notes and shamelessly cuddle (not that either of them would call it that).

"Be that as it may, I won't cross out supernatural until I am absolutely certain. That…thing that chased John and myself…" he trailed off, and his gaze flickered to the hole in the wall where they had come out of the secret passage; a black, yawning hole that Ayako had plastered wards all around to prevent anything coming in. Monk, Lin and Tajo, who were al sleeping in base, had their own personal protections in place as well, but they were relying on Ayako's to give them a fair warning (Ayako had blushed beautifully when Monk had told her that, and had stuttered out a thank you).

"You think it was a demon?" Monk pressed. Naru shook his head, eyes still on the hole in the wall.

"You know, Takigawa, I'm not sure what I think."

Monk stretched his arms above his head, yawning. It was nearly midnight, and he needed rest.

"What a crappy day, huh? Never seen this much activity on the first day before. Maybe they were…forewarned or something. Can ghosts be forewarned? Another person higher up pulling the strings?"

"I hope not." Naru answered, shutting his notebook and standing to stretch, stifling a yawn of his own. "Hearing about Nagoya was bad enough; I have no desire to actually relive it."

"You and John should head back to your room." Monk suggested, checking his watch. "You don't want to be caught out in the middle of the hallway in case the spirits decide to come out to play tonight."

Naru nodded, a strange look crossing his face, before it resumed his normal 'Case-Professional' mode as he grabbed his jacket, Ayako's wards sticking out of the pocket.

"Are the girls already asleep?"

"Mai, Maya and Masako headed off around nine, Ayako joined them around ten. They all messaged me to say that they made it."

"I'll text Lin when we get there." Naru glanced towards the window, staring at the half moon that was just visible above the treetops. "I don't like this place." He muttered. Monk nodded.

"None of us do."

John joined them, glow stick tucked in his back pocket and a torch in hand.

"Ready? I remembered a glow stick this time." John's voice was teasing, and Naru raised an eyebrow.

"So you didn't give it to Masako despite her having at least five?"

John flushed, and Naru smirked.

"Shut up, Davis. Get out the door."

They both left, Monk shutting the door behind him and affixing a ward over the keyhole, before turning to the other two men in base. Tajo sat against the wall next to the window, paper scattered around him and a pen tucked behind his ear as he scanned through an old, leather-bound tome with a strange symbol on it. Lin sat in front of the monitors, headphones on as he went through the days tapes, filtering the sound and taking notes. Monk sighed, and took his place at the other seat by the monitors, and started to go through the videos, trying to catch up with what the others had done.

John and Naru, typically disappearing from view after the blackout where they were, but the infrared had kicked in and he could see where they'd gone into the passage, a cold spot hovering around whom he guessed to be Naru (he was a little taller than John, but less broad in the shoulders). When the…thing John said has followed them came into view of the camera, the whole thing flickered in and out, but one thing was certain; it had a much lower body heat than either of the two youngsters.

He and Ayako didn't even appear on the cameras, so it had been a complete blackout on their end. Base was an interesting story, with a spirit appearing and talking to them. Monk turned up the volume to listen to the story that the ghost child told (and a little something in his chest felt tight when he thought about how young this little girl was when she died. Lord, it was always the children that made the worst victims), and shot Tajo a suspicious look once he heard his voice go all strange (the effect was lost through the recording, but Monk could see all the body language, and it creeped him out, just a little).

He went to go to the next set of recordings, but something made him pause, something niggling in the back of his mind. He replayed the end, when the girl told them how she died. _No, that was fine._ He went back further, when she explained the dinner. Something was off, something was missing.

.

"Everything alright, Takigawa?" Tajo's voice came from his left, and he turned his head a fraction in his direction.

"I'm not sure. There's something that doesn't seem right with the story."

"Do you think that she lied?"

"No, it's…" Monk frowned, and narrowed his eyes as he replayed a particular bit of dialogue. Lin leaned over, and pulled out Monk's headphones so that they could all listen. Monk replayed it again, and then listened to the rest of it.

"Did you notice?"

"What am I supposed to be noticing?" Tajo asked, sharing a confused glance with Lin. Monk turned to look at them.

"She told us how her parents died, but there were two other adults at the table."

"The Grandfather and the carer?" Lin put forth, dragging the words out as if he was a student answering a question that he wasn't quite sure he had the correct answer to. Monk shook his head, and replayed the first bit of dialogue.

"No. She said that they had two Aunts there." Tajo bit his lip, and Monk could tell that it had dawned on him.

"But she didn't say how they died."

.

.

"Here." Lin pulled up a screen on his laptop, Monk abandoning the reports he was scanning in search of the missing women. Across from him, Tajo rifled through the old newspapers, but paused when Lin put his laptop on the table in front.

"Where did you get the autopsy reports from?" Tajo questioned with a wary tone.

"Doesn't matter. These weren't included, simply because they were under Missing Persons for a few days, and the deaths weren't related to the ones in original report. Both Aunts were found in the basement, not a single mark on them. The deaths were marks suspicious, because both women were healthy with no problems according to the doctor's report, but the coroner made note that they looked afraid. Almost as if they…died of fear."

"I thought only rabbits and guinea pigs could do that." Monk commented. Lin looked at him askance.

"Where the hell do you find these facts?"

"The Internet." Monk deadpanned, and Tajo snickered, before scrolling down the report.

"There should be some other clue about how they died. Even just a small tiny detail that should have been noted as an oddity…"

"You're the Doctor here, Tajo." Lin held up his hands. "I wouldn't know what I'm supposed to be looking for."

Monk scanned the blueprints to the house, and noted the basement.

"In the older part of the house. That's usually where all the creepy stuff tends to happen."

Lin coughed something that sounded like ' _Urado'_ and Monk shivered.

"Found it!" Tajo exclaimed loudly, causing Monk to jump and reach for his beads. Lin shot him a smirk. Monk glared back.

"In the notes section, it mentioned that the internal organs were at a significantly cooler temperature than the outer areas such as the skin and muscles. An odd occurrence though; I can't think of anything that could cause that. It should have all been the same temperature if they had died three days before."

"Weird." Monk yawned. "I'm gonna sleep on it. Maybe something will come out of the depths of my subconscious to explain it."

"I'll take first watch." Lin volunteered. "You two sleep; we'll sort out a roster tomorrow."

"And let's hope it's a quiet night." Tajo muttered, Monk murmuring an agreement, but feeling as though the PK-LT user had just jinxed them.

.

* * *

.

Naru was not having a quiet night.

To be fair, he hadn't had a quiet night for the past few months. Every night he'd lain in bed, unable to sleep until exhaustion took him. He was restless, and his brain continued to work overtime, so he stared at the ceiling, hoping that he'd fall asleep quicker this time. Normally, he'd walk around the small flat he shared with Nollene, or he'd marathon a series on Netflix, or read a tome on Astral Projection Theory written by an Oxford professor that put him to sleep due to the dry and mind-numbing presentation of the material. Unfortunately, walking around in a haunted house that contained things that chased you down for a snack and murderous spirits was not a good idea, he'd forgotten to pack that particular book and he had the feeling that any form of electronic device would attract spirits to his location like some form of paranormal beacon.

Next to him, John's deep breaths were even and relaxed; the priest finally having dropped off to sleep about an hour ago. Both had drawn the short straws when they found out that in order for them to all be close to base, two people would have to share a bed. The girls had already merged their rooms, so that Mai and Maya were sharing a bed, and Masako and Ayako were sharing one. Ayako claimed it was for preventing kidnappings from their rooms, so that someone always had a person with them, but Mai had whispered something to Naru about Maya and Masako feeling apprehensive about the mansion, and wanted reassurance that something wasn't going to pull them through the walls. Monk, Lin and Tajo had claimed base, Yasu and Madoka had gone back into the office to grab some files from the archive and check on Nollene, whom was covering the office while they were away. That left a shared room for Naru and John which, although they hadn't known it, only contained a queen-sized bed.

Naru had wanted to kill Lin when he failed to mention it. It had been awkward for about the whole morning, but after the events of the day, neither of them had said anything, merely crashing into the bed, John asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

Naru resisted the urge to toss, knowing that the priest was a light sleeper, and that if he moved too much the Australian would wake. The heavy blackout curtains cut all outside light, and the entire room was dark, which meant no shadows to jump at, so why the hell couldn't he sleep?

.

" _Naru."_

.

The whisper came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and Naru froze, hand inching towards the glow stick under his pillow, fingers brushing against the gun he'd smuggled out from under Lin's watchful eye. His eyes darted around the room. Nothing.

" _Oliver."_

The whisper came from his left, where John was. _Was he sleep-talking?_ Oliver looked across, and felt the blood drain from his face.

.

It was Mai.

.

Covered in blood, and holding her arms out to him, pleading as the red liquid dripped onto the floor.

" _Help me!"_

Naru squeezed his eyes shut, and then reopened them. Mai was gone. He swallowed, and turned his head to the left, only to come face to face with a familiar face.

" _Hello, Noll."_

"Gene." He whispered, reaching out to touch his twin's face, before thinking better of it and withdrawing his hand. Gene rolled his eyes, and shook his head.

" _I don't have much time. I tried to block as much of it as I could, but you'll still have to see it for yourself."_

"Gene, what…"

" _I'm sorry. Try to sleep."_

 _"_ I can't." Naru admitted, still whispering. "Too restless." Gene smiled at him, and brushed a ghostly hand over Naru's forehead. Naru knew, in that instant, that Gene was real, and not a spirit taking his form. Only Gene would bother to do something like that in an attempt to comfort him.

" _Sleep, Noll. I'll take first watch."_

Naru slept. And he dreamed.

.

* * *

.

Next door, Maya wrapped her arms around her twin, and tried not to close her eyes, afraid that if she opened them, Mai would vanish from her sight forever.

.

In her twin's embrace, Mai dreamed of a little girl and her brother, laughing as they ran through the halls, before a bloodbath over took her vision, and she whimpered as the blood splattered across her face and arms.

.

Masako didn't normally dream. It was almost downright strange if she did. So when she found herself in a strange room covered in symbols with a madman raving to thin air in front of her, she frowned, and tried to commit as much as she could to memory.

.

Ayako was wandering in a forest, calling for someone, someone dear to her, but she couldn't find them. Deeper and deeper she walked, and the trees grew larger and more twisted, the branches reaching out to her like the fingers of some strange monster. She was sobbing, and her feet hurt, and there were scratches and cuts littering her body, but she couldn't stop, she couldn't turn around. She couldn't go back.

.

Tajo was hurting. He was burning, he was cold all over, his throat stung, and he had died more times than he cared to that day. It was an endless cycle, and it had never been this bad before. All the while there was laughter; high, sadistic, maniacal laughter, that floated above everything and seemed to revel in the pain and suffering that it had caused.

.

Monk was trapped in a nightmare. Red eyes and sharp teeth and everything in between. Thick, matted black fur brushed against carpet, and a sinister presence pressed down upon him, making him feel weak and tired and helpless. Voices whispered dark secrets into his ear, giving him the power to destroy and decimate, and the knowledge of forbidden things, tempting him to help the dark thrive. He watched, he waited, and he took notes, trying to find a flaw in the plans.

.

.

Dawn broke.

.

* * *

.

 **Day 2**

.

.

"Ayako's missing!" Maya burst into base, Masako hot in her heels. Monk sat up so fast that he fell of the couch he was sleeping on, and he turned to glare at Tajo. Tajo, however, was staring at the monitors, running a hand through a truly terrible bedhead and frowning.

"Where's Koujo?"

.

Madoka stared up at the house, unease rippling down her spine. Yasu stood next to her, pushing up his glasses as he eyed the door. He turned to Madoka, and she swallowed.

"Something's happened."

.

.

Mai wandered down into the kitchen area, humming to herself as she made up a tray of tea. She pushed last night's dreams out of her mind; they were something she already knew about, although to see it first-hand wasn't something she was keen to repeat. She was, however, worried. She hadn't seen Ayako this morning, and Maya and Masako had been asleep when she'd left. She'd left Maya a note, taken a couple of spare wards, and gone to make tea.

As the calming aroma of green tea filled the air, the door opened, and she turned with a smile on her face and a greeting on her lips, thinking that it was Maya or Naru.

"Good Morni…." The words died, and Mai felt herself freezing up.

"Good Morning, Mai, my dearest and most delicate flower." Takeo Minami sauntered into the kitchen, a disturbing smile on his face. Mai paled. Gods, she was such an _idiot_. How had she not put the clues together sooner? _Minami_ Psychic Research. The weird intern that had been mooning over her on a couple of cases back. _It was him._ The stalker from High-school. The guy who'd made her almost blow up a set of apartments. The harasser of young women.

The guy who was absolutely dead if either Lin, Monk or Naru met him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat at him, whisking the tea a little more aggressively than usual.

"Mai, pearl of my heart, I work for my uncle now. My father wished for me to gain experience in the world before I take over my father's company. Then I shall be able to provide you with everything you want, my dearest love."

"I already have everything I want." Mai snapped back, thinking of a narcissist's love, a priest's smile, a monk's hugs and a medium's trust.

"Mai, Mai, my sunrise, you should know by now that nothing compares to my love for you."

Mai slammed the whisk down on the tray, and turned to face him, eyes blazing. He must have seen something in her face, because he took a cautious step back. Mai clenched her hands, and narrowed her eyes.

"I am not interested. I have never been interested. Piss. Off."

.

Something changed.

.

Mai didn't quite comprehend what had happened, but one moment she had the upper hand, then she was trying not to tremble. She didn't know if it was something in his eyes that made her feel like prey, or the subtle shift in his body language, but now _he_ had the upper hand, and Mai felt trapped. Oh, how she wished that she'd woken Maya to go with her, or even stopped by base that morning to pick up Lin or Monk, or even Tajo. Where was Ayako? Normally she came in to help carry the trays up. She was panicking. Panicking too much. Her heart raced. Her palms were sweating. Her breathing shortened.

"Did I hear you reject me?" Takeo walked closer, and Mai found herself frozen in fear. "Or was it a slip of the tongue?"

Mai couldn't bring herself to answer. Her instincts were screaming at her to flee, to yell for help, to zap him, to crumple to the floor and weep uncontrollably. No one had ever made her feel this helpless, and she hated it. She hated him. She hated this house, and the fact that his uncle was in charge of the stupid company that were their rivals. She hated being so _weak_.

"Mai, my radiant moonbeam, you should not reject me. I can offer you riches and power beyond your wildest dreams!"

' _I don't want riches and power,'_ she wanted to scream, _'I want warmth and love and smiles."_

Nothing would come out, except a breathy little gasp. Takeo loomed over her, and his hand cupped her cheek. She wanted to vomit, but she locked her eyes with his.

"You are powerless to resist me, my pet. I will own you…."

"What in the 9 Circles is going on here?" Mai's vision was filled with pink fury, and she swallowed as her head started to spin. "You have ten seconds to start explaining why you were manhandling my assistant, plebeian."

"The lady and I have an understanding, there's no need to interrupt." His voice made her skin crawl, and she clutched onto the bench for support.

"Is this true, Mai?" It was Madoka, Mai realized. Madoka must have shown up early with the files and then come into the kitchen to look for her because that was where she normally was in the morning before everyone else got up. Mai straightened, and looked Takeo square in the eyes.

.

"We do not, and never will have an understanding." Her voice shook, but she stood tall.

Takeo snarled, and went to advance, but Madoka did…something, that made him pale and flee the kitchen, tail between his legs. Mai could breathe again. Madoka turned to her.

"Was that who I think it was?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell anyone that he was here?" Mai bit her lip, and looked down at the floor.

"Because I thought that I could handle it. I'm sorry."

"Gods, Mai." Madoka enveloped her in a hug, and Mai tried not to cry. "It's never your fault if that guy is still being a creep, so don't ever apologize for him." Madoka pulled away, and offered Mai a handkerchief, which Mai used to wipe her eyes. Madoka picked up the second tray of tea.

"Come on, we should get that tea up to base. Judging by everyone's faces, it's been a long night."

.

* * *

.

John slept like a log, it was true. He woke slowly, and only became completely functional after his second cup of coffee (or tea), and after he'd had breakfast. On cases, he'd awaken in the blink of an eye, never knowing what might happen that day, or whether he was being attacked.

Therefore he was surprised to find himself slowly drifting back into consciousness, a calming warmth permeating his very being and enticing him back into slothfulness. His first thought was that Briathos was still high after those bullets Lin had shot them with (and boy, had his mindscape been a strange place last night), but it wasn't angelic power that he could sense. It seemed familiar, almost as though he'd felt it before.

His second thought wondered why there was an arm around his waist and a face pressed between his shoulder blades, but was chased off by the third thought that he could stay in bed a little while longer. The first thought came back in agreement, while the second kept niggling in the back of his mind. John almost closed his eyes and went back to sleep, before the arm retracted, and someone yawned behind him and muttered something about the time. John almost went back to sleep after that, before his mind kicked fully into gear, and he snapped awake.

.

He had been sharing a bed with Naru.

.

He carefully turned towards Naru, who seemed to have dozed off again, and studied the Ghost Hunter. His face was serene, and seemed to be giving off a soft golden glow, like the colour of…his PK. The warm feeling was coming from his skin, almost as if he'd subconsciously wrapped them both in PK in order to stop spirits from attacking or possessing them. It was a...nice thought, actually.

Too late, he realized that he had been staring at Naru for too long, as sky met bleary midnight. John sat up quickly, and tried to stop himself from blushing. It wasn't that he'd shared a bed with a guy, he'd done that with his brothers often enough on a hunt (and Naru was practically like a brother now anyway, so it didn't matter), he wasn't attracted in any form, but still…God, he was being an idiot. He was embarrassed to be caught staring, because that was rude. Beside him, Naru sat up, hair partially covering his eyes and sticking out in every direction, looking more awake than he had been ten seconds ago. Naru blinked at him, before…he _blushed_. John felt himself flushing as well, despite his best efforts, and he ran his hands through his hair.

"Umm…good morning?"

"I…uh…um…" Naru stuttered, and John bit his lip to keep from smiling. He had never seen Naru so flustered, and it was very entertaining.

"I'm sorry!" Naru burst out, and John blinked. _What?_ Naru continued.

"It's not something that happens often but when I have dreams or visions or whatever for some reason I tend to hug people when I sleep and I have no idea why but I don't normally do it and oh gods I'm so sorry if I offended you or…"

"Oliver." John cut across him, his lips twitching. _Who knew that the unflappable Naru cuddles in his sleep? Oh Lord, if Yasu found out…_ "It's doesn't matter. Really. I was just a bit…surprised."

"Well, I'm embarrassed." Naru muttered, checking his watch. "We should get to base. Madoka will be here by now." They looked at each other, before Naru's sentence registered in their minds.

John shot out of the bed and towards the bathroom, grabbing his clothes as he went, while Naru attempted to fix his hair and change his shirt at the same time. If Madoka or, Lord forbid, Yasu, came in to find them, there would be endless mockery until death, and neither of the two ghost hunters wanted to deal with that.

.

It was going to be a very long day.

.

* * *

.

.

John had totally called it.

It had been quiet for the first half of the day, with the disappearances of Lin and Ayako being the only major issues. Ayako had simply vanished, but both Monk and Naru urged the rest of them to give the doctor a little more credit. She could handle herself. Lin, however, hadn't been seen by anyone this morning (unlike Ayako, who Masako had seen around 6 that morning), and was still unaccountable. The worry had persisted throughout the morning, until Tajo, from his spot in front of the monitors, had noticed something odd.

Every twenty or so minutes, the cameras, which had been playing up all day, were slowly fixing themselves, starting on the ground floor and working their way up. It had been little things that had made John think that there had been a small disturbance last night that no one had noticed; some cameras were angled towards the ceiling more than they should have been, others lacked sound, some seemed to be stuck on a loop, and others…nothing. There were four blank screens, and John didn't like it. That they were all in different areas of the house meant that either there were four different spirits inhabiting those particular places (plausible, but highly unlikely), or that someone was messing with their equipment. Mai and Maya had split the four cameras between them, Mai taking the bottom two and Maya taking the top, working their way back to base. Occasionally, the cameras would burst into static, or the sounds of Maya muttering to herself would fill their audio, but there was nothing from Mai. Naru and Yasu were combing through the extra files in silence, while Monk and Masako had gone to do a walk through and retake the temperatures to look for any anomalies.

There was a sudden hiss and a crackle from John's headphones, before a triumphant yell caused him to yank them off and rapidly turn down the volume. Tajo grinned at him, still keeping an eye on the monitors. John huffed, and started as Maya's face filled the entire screen of the top camera that was furthest away from base. Maya gave the camera a cheeky wave, and he smiled to himself, picking up his walkie talkie.

"All clear. Visual and sound online. Switch to night vision."

The camera went dark, and then green flooded his vision, a skeletal hand waving in front of the lens.

"Check. Infra-red?" This time the walls were painted in blues and greens, before Maya danced her way onto the screen, doing some ridiculous poses in red and orange. John stifled a laugh, and shook his head.

"All clear. Head to the second one, I'll switch this one back remotely." Maya gave him a thumbs up, and disappeared, a light humming filling his headphones. Lord, but she was a bit of a jokester. He had to admit, when they had first met he pegged her as either really shy or really stuck-up, but that had changed once he'd seen Mai and Maya get together. Those two scared him sometimes, and he had an older sister.

He turned his attention back to the cameras that Mai was supposed to be fixing. Nothing had happened.

.

Then the lights went out. Tajo cursed.

"I've just lost all my sound."

"Same here." John confirmed, staring intently at the screens, switching all cameras over to infrared to try and catch whatever it was that was messing with the equipment.

.

 _There._

.

A cold blue blob drifted across the hallway, and vanished from the camera that Maya had just fixed. It reappeared in the kitchen. John leaned over to stare at the screens near Tajo, and frowned. It was just…sitting there, as if it were waiting for something. _Or someone._ John suddenly had a terrible thought.

"Tajo…wasn't Madoka getting tea?" Tajo paled, and he reached for his phone, only to come to the realization that Madoka's wouldn't work. John became aware of Naru and Yasu standing behind them, Yasu leaning on his shoulders. Naru had his arms folded, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, the action telling John that the researcher was more worried than he let on.

"I'm sure Madoka's fine." Tajo said, not sounding very convinced. "She can take care of herself."

Still the spirit hovered, still it waited. John started to chew on his fingernails; a habit left over from his days at school that always cropped up when he was nervous. He was normally a patient man, he could wait, but this…the suspense was pure torture. They couldn't warn her, they could only watch, and that made it ten times worse.

Madoka entered the kitchen.

John froze the image, staring in disbelief as Yasu made a weird noise and Naru muttered an oath that would have had his…Peter scrubbing his mouth out with soap. Tajo seemed…oddly resigned.

"So, I guess that secret's out."

.

The spirit was blue.

.

So was Madoka.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Stupid camera! 'Go check the cameras, Mai! You're so much better with them than we are!' Yeah, that's because I broke one and got this whole job, and then I spent most of my time setting them up! I mean, Naru's good with the stupid things, since he owns them, so why doesn't he do it? Then the lights go out! Ugh, this is really starting to piss me off!" Mai glared at the camera, and then at the lights. This case was starting to annoy her, but they couldn't do anything about it until they found out what was wrong with it.

"And then, my flashlight dies. Of all the stupid, predictable things to happen! Just when I ran out of glowsticks too! Are you happy up there?" she yelled to the ceiling, addressing whatever deity or spirit or whatever decided her fate. "You asshole! Can't I get a break?"

She huffed, and then turned her gaze back to the camera, frowning at the mess of wires in front of her. The camera was fine, if not a little crooked, so what was the problem? Ugh, she needed another set of eyes, but Maya was on the other side of the house. And Lin… she didn't even know where Lin was. The one person who could have helped her understand the problem, and he was MIA. She growled. Under her breath in frustration.

At least the Grey Sisters hadn't shown up yet. She could claim that she was possessed, but she knew that her actions would be that of a possessed person. Well, maybe possessed with rage and hate, but still. They, in all their higher-than-thou glory and snooty demeanours that could kill one's self-confidence as soon as they stepped into a room. Not to mention their persistent pursuits of Naru. Mai, of course, couldn't do anything about it; as far as they were aware, Naru and Mai were simply very good colleagues who were on more familiar terms than most. It's not like she could kiss him in front of them. It wouldn't be professional.

Maybe she could throttle them in her sleep…. _no, Mai, get a hold of yourself. These murderous thoughts are not good for you. You might actually act on them one day, and then you'd end up in prison_.

' _Shut up,'_ she told the irritating voice, ' _if you weren't just a figment of my imagination, you'd agree with me.'_ The voice shut up. Mai grinned in momentary triumph, before she was brought back to earth when the camera gave a pathetic beep, and died. Mai took a deep breath. And another. Another. Several more. She felt her temper cool, and she hung her head.

"What else could go wrong?"

.

"Mai, o blossoming rosebud of dawn, our destiny has caused us to meet! It is indeed fate!"

Mai, thinking of a movie she had watched with Naru on a date, smirked to herself.

"I'm pretty sure it was your density, because you still can't seem to get the message."

Takeo looked confused for a moment, and frowned.

"Mai, my first blush of Spring, why do you deny our love still? Is it not obvious, the way we keep bumping into each other, that we are destined to be together? That we are, in fact… _soulmates?_ "

Mai stared at him, flabbergasted. _What?_ What…drivel was this? Soulmates? The whole notion had always seemed stupid to her, so she hadn't bothered with the craze when it had swept through her school friends, nor had she paid it much attention in general, so why was Takeo, who was…about 23 by now, spouting such absolute nonsense? The whole thing was giving her a headache.

"Takeo, I've said it once, I;ve said it twice, and I'll say it a hundred times more; I am not interested. I have a boyfriend who still loves me for some weird reason, an equally crazy family who join me in doing equally crazy stuff, mostly this job. They have taught me to be independent, and to never, ever, dumb myself down to make others feel better. You, on the other hand, have stalked me, downgraded me, called me ridiculous names, and almost gotten me expelled from school. _Take a hint. Get. Lost_."

.

It happened again. Mai saw his eyes darken, and a cruel smile twisted across his face.

Then his hands were grabbing hers in an iron grip, and he leaned in close. Close enough that she could feel his breath fanning across her face. It reeked.

"Come on, Mai, my sweet cherry blossom. You know that deep down, you really love me."

Mai tried to lean further away from Takeo, and found her back up against the wall. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ There was no Frost giving her crazy Kung Fu tips in her mind this time, and she was starting to wish that anyone would come around the corner; Monk, John, Lin, Yasu, those stupid Grey Sisters, a spirit, a demon (Upper, Lesser Or Lower, she was getting a little desperate), hell, even Naru would be a welcome distraction at this point, despite her knowing that if Takeo and Naru ever met, there would be blood everywhere and either a lawsuit or a mad rush to hide the body in a haunted house halfway across the country. Dear gods, Takeo was leaning in closer, and his breath was not in the least bit pleasant, and he was invading her personal space even more, and she wondered that if she was feeling intense emotional distress, would Maya feel it too? Would she be able to sense it from across the house and come running to her rescue? Every single scrap of self-defence that she had been taught over the years vanished from her mind, and Mai found her breaths starting to quicken because oh spirits he was way too close and she couldn't handle anyone being this close…

"Just give in." Takeo breathed, and Mai felt her hold in her emotions slip, a strangled gasp escaping her lips. She was panicking; hyperventilating and feeling like she was about to pass out, as his lips moved closer and closer to her own. She shut her eyes, hoping that if she opened them she would discover that it was all a nightmare and she'd wake up next to Masako or Maya and continue on with her day and see Naru and laugh at Monk and Ayako and…

.

"What is going on here?"

Mai almost sank to the floor, boneless in relief for the interruption, if not for the fact that it would put her at eyelevel with something she definitely didn't want to see. She looked to her left, and saw Lin standing in the centre of the corridor, faced etched in stone and fingers clenched tight around case files.

"It's none of your business, man, so get lost." Takeo snapped at him. "The girl and I are in the middle of something."

Lin marched up to Takeo, who seemed to wilt underneath the iron stare of the Omniyouji, and loomed over the young man, intimidation leaking from every pore.

"Wrong." His voice was soft, and Mai felt herself shiver in fear, despite it not being directed at her.

"You were harassing my assistant, whom also happens to be my niece, which makes it my business. Mai,' he turned to her, 'what is going on?"

"I said that we were in the middle of something." Takeo answered. Lin gritted his teeth, and Mai could tell that he'd reached the end of his limit. It had slowly been building up, and she had only just noticed that the fuse had finished burning. Lin _loomed_ above Takeo, his visible eye flinty and his face twisted into a fearsome snarl.

.

"I wasn't talking to you, bitch. Either fuck off or shut the fuck up, because I don't have the time nor the patience to listen to your pathetic excuses or your wretched whining when you sound like a _castrati*_. If you come near any of my team again, I will string you up outside, summon demons and leave you for their meal. Do I make myself clear?"

Takeo stood stock still, as if afraid that by moving an inch, he'd incur the rest of the Chinese man's wrath. Lin stepped closer.

"Do I need to repeat myself? _Does your pitiful brain comprehend what I'm saying?_ If you approach Mai again, _I will end your otherwise inadequate existence._ Now, _move._ "

Takeo paled, and nodded, before scurrying off, much like a cockroach who has just narrowly avoided being flattened by a shoe. Mai did collapse then, taking deep breaths to control her breathing and her racing pulse, while Lin glared down the hallway, as if he were trying to set the fleeing form of Takeo in fire. Part of Mai wished that he could, while the other part that was still a reasonable human being lectured her on behaviour towards others. She ignored it.

"Follow him." Lin ordered, and Mai looked up at him in confusion, his gaze still fixed down the corridor that Takeo had fled down. "Make sure he doesn't mess with the equipment again. And find out what he'd hiding from us."

Twin red streaks shot down the hall and disappeared through the wall, Mai frowning. Lin looked down to her, and sighed.

"Are you alright?"

Mai shot him a look, and he sighed again, running a hand through his hair, dropping to the floor next to her and dumping his files in a pile on the floor. Mai took a moment to really look at the Chinese mage, noticing the bags under his eyes, and the tension lines around his mouth.

"Should I be asking you that question?" she uttered softly, and Lin slumped against the wall.

"Your…friend, Minami, spent most of the early morning hours messing with the calibration of the cameras, knocking them out of alignment and damaging the sensors to an extent. I've just spent most of the day fixing them. I caught him in the act with the last one, but he denied it, saying that something else had knocked them over. I just want to wring his stupid, ugly…." Koujo trailed off, and Mai giggled at the sight of the normally stoic man losing his temper. Lin mock-glared at her.

"Laugh it up, Mai. I have plenty of embarrassing stories of you to share with the rest of the group. Like that time you drank half a bottle of medicine because it tasted like oranges."

"I didn't!" Mai protested. Lin grinned at her.

"You slept very well that night." Mai blushed, and hid her face in her hands, completely forgetting about Takeo. Then Lin had to go ruin the mood.

"Who was he?" Mai stopped giggling, and the smile dropped from her face. She had hoped that Lin would forget about him, but obviously not. This was not a topic she wanted to speak about, but, she supposed, at least it was Lin she was talking to, and not Naru. Lord, it would be awkward if she were to have this discussion with Naru. It simply didn't bear thinking about. She decided to bite the bullet.

"His name is Takeo." She began, looking around furtively, as if the very mention of his name would cause him to reappear. "He used to attend the same school that Masako and I went to, where he would stalk me. He used to ring up the apartment where I stayed with Ayako and Masako, and sometimes he would even visit, trying to enter. He never could come in past the door, though. Ayako had put up some old looking wooden charms and they kept him out."

"Who else knows?" Mai huddled deeper into herself, not sure of Lin's reaction.

"Everyone except Naru and Tajo, now."

Mai studied Lin from the corner of her eyes. To his credit, the man didn't get upset, or suspicious or even offended that she hadn't told him. No, he looked rather pensive, and Mai felt her stomach sink through her intestines when he opened his mouth.

.

"You have to tell Naru."

"What!"

"Mai,' Lin began, turning to face her, capturing all of her attention, 'this…Takeo can turn you into a quivering mess simply by invading your personal space. What would have happened if I hadn't come along when I did? What if it was Masako, or Maya, and they couldn't scare him off? Hell, what if it were the Grey Sisters, and they just turned and walked away? This boy is more dangerous than you let on, and you know it."

Mai sniffled, startled to see that she had started to cry, and Lin wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I didn't want anyone to worry. I thought that I could handle it."

"But we always will worry, Mai, 'Lin murmured, 'because that's what family does."

Mai started to cry in earnest, sobbing into Lin's chest and clutching his shirt in clenched fists, Lin stroking her hair. In the dark corners of her mind, something whispered about how familiar this was, and she let the feeling of safety wash over her. She had spent so long believing that she was alone, an orphan, never really fitting in or belonging anywhere, but then she had pushed a bookshelf onto the spiritualist who was bearing her tears with good grace, and everything had _clicked_. She'd met Maya and Masako and Ayako, and John and Yasu and Monk, and Naru, and all the missing pieces had fit back together, as if they'd been shoved down a couch and then found years later, completing the puzzle at last.

And _Lin_. God, Lin, who was one of the last connections to her parents, that after the initial we-don't-get-along, made sure that she knew that she was welcome, and that she was happy and taken care of. Lin, who was her big brother despite not being related by blood, but had been there for the majority of the important events in her life.

With all of these wonderful people who surrounded her, who _loved_ her, she had completed a journey that she didn't know she had embarked on. She had made it.

She was _home_.

.

.

"Naru."

Monk paused in the doorway as Mai spoke, concerning etched across his features as he took in the pale, red-eyed young woman from her place next to Lin. He spotted the reassuring hand that Lin had on her shoulder, and the way Mai stood closer to the Chinese man.

"Mai. Are you alright?" Naru stood, and made his way over. Mai swallowed, and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

"Can we talk?" Naru looked nervous (it made Monk grin a little), but he nodded, waiting for Mai to continue. Mai looked around base, and Monk could tell that she knew that everyone was shamelessly eavesdropping.

"In private."

Monk was amused to see that Madoka looked disappointed for a moment, before she made her way over to him. Beside him, Tajo shifted uneasily, and Yasu and John looked worried.

"I'm going to miss all the drama." Yasu muttered. "Typical."

"I think Mai is going to tell Naru about The Stalker Dude." John answered. "Something must have happened."

"Enough." Madoka cut across. "We need to start looking for Ayako, before we lose daylight. I don't want to be out in those woods after dark."

"I second that." Tajo muttered, leading the way out of base. "If the house is bad, I hate to think what the forest is like."

" _Beware of the Slenderman_." Yasu cackled under his breath, John shoving him into the doorway in retaliation.

"Shut up, Yasu. Get moving. The longer we stay here, the longer Ayako is out there."

Monk clipped Yasu around the back of the head as he walked past, moving through the hallways quickly. He hoped Ayako was alright. She just had to be.

.

* * *

.

"Ayako!"

"Aya!"

"OLD HAG! ANSWER US!"

"Nothing." Monk sighed, dejected. "Not a single sign nor peep from her."

"We'll find her." Tajo reassured him, clapping his shoulder as he moved past to examine a patch of mud further up. Monk could hear Yasu, John and Madoka calling, having split up to cover more ground. Madoka had opted to go by herself.

"We'll need to do it soon; daylight is escaping us." Monk replied tersely. Of all the people to go missing, it had to be Ayako. A little part of him felt guilty for wishing that it was someone else who'd been possessed, but he was worried, dammit. What if they never found her, and she was left to wander in the woods until she died, or worse, what if they stumbled across her mangled and broken body with message written around it in her own blood….

"Monk." Houshou started badly, hands brought up, ready to chant, when he met the steady gaze of Tajo. Tajo gestured towards the patch of forest floor he had been examining. "I found something."

Monk looked at the patch of mud, and froze. There, barely discernible against the leaves, was a footprint.

"It's hers. Same shape. And here." Monk shuffled forward, fingers plucking at the thread that had caught his eye. It wasn't noticeable by much, but the colour stood out against the dark green of the bush it was snared on. A small scrap of fabric, fluttering between his fingers, a pale blue thread of hope.

"She came this way." Monk breathed, a small smile flitting across his face. "We must be getting close." Tajo tapped his shoulder, and pointed to the bushes in front of them. More specifically, the dark liquid that coated a few of the thorns. Most were broken, or had been pushed aside, leaving a clear trail through the middle. It was obvious which way the miko had gone. Monk couldn't even begin to imagine the damage done to her legs. She'd been out here since early morning, which meant that her feet would be pretty roughed up as well. Whatever the case, they needed to find her, and soon.

"Takigawa." Tajo uttered. "The sun. We have less than an hour."

.

.

Ayako was tired. She just wanted to rest, to close her eyes for bit and soothe her aching feet. But she was so close. She was almost there. She had almost found what she was looking for. It was just over the small hill and through the thicket, then she would be safe, and no more harm would come to her. She was so close…

"Ayako! Stop!"

There were voices, yelling and pleading and calling her name, but she ignored them. _So close._ She was almost at the thicket, the branches waving gently in a small breeze that cooled her skin and caressed her shoulders. Was she getting warmer? It felt so comforting, like the hugs she would get from her mother when she was very small, before the weight of all their expectations crushed their feelings and her happiness. She had tried so hard to please them, why were they all so cruel? _Come with me_ , the voice whispered, _and I can make you feel warm and happy once more. You're almost there._ Something in her mind rebelled; amber eyes and blonde hair, callused fingers and strong arms, a strange smile tilting soft lips, and a shoulder that she had cried on often. _They are nothing to you anymore. Don't you trust me?_ Her fingers brushed the leaves of the bushes that stood in her way. She pushed the first few branches aside.

.

Something yanked her backwards, and she lashed out, her hand hitting something hard. Callused fingers grabbed her wrists and held her in place, and she could feel herself being dragged backwards. _No! I must get past the bushes!_ She struggled, she fought, yet she couldn't break the iron grip. Something wet splashed over her forehead, and a voice yelled something, before her head cleared.

She found herself drowning in amber.

The grip on her wrists lessened, and a hand cupped her cheek.

"Aya?" Houshou stared into her eyes, looking for…something. She gave him a weak smile.

"Houshou?" She looked around, noting down the location. "Why are we in the woods?"

To her concern, Monk simply crushed her into a hug, his nose buried in the crook of her neck.

"Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried." He murmured. Ayako frowned.

"What happened?"

"Takigawa, I hate to interrupt, but we have to go, now." Tajo urged. Monk sighed into her neck, and stood, before turning away from her and crouching down.

"Come on, you shouldn't walk on those feet." Ayako looked down, and swallowed heavily at the bloody mess that her feet had become. Was she in her pyjamas? What happened to her legs? She accepted Houshou's offer of a piggyback ride, holding on to his shoulders as he stood up and started to move at a light jog.

"What's going on?"

"You were possessed, and led out into the woods, and now we have to move quickly to be back in base by the time the sun sets." Yasu summarized, and Ayako winced.

"How long have I…?"

"All day." John answered, casting glances over his shoulder. "We need to go faster, Monk. The sun is almost setting." They all picked up the pace, Madoka and Tajo bringing up the rear. Indeed, Ayako could now see that the sun was almost set, and that nightfall would be upon them. For some strange reason, this made her very uneasy. Just what had she missed?

.

Madoka glanced back towards the small hill they'd left behind. She hadn't wanted to worry Monk, but she knew that they had gotten lucky. The spirit that had possessed Ayako appeared briefly, eyes red. Madoka glared at it, and it vanished. She knew where it had been leading Ayako.

.

Behind the bush thicket was a cliff. At the base of the cliff there was a small pond.

.

.

And at the bottom of the pond, bones sat, their spirits forever bound to their place of death.

.

.

.

.

 **PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

 **Massive chapter, hope it was worth the wait! Only two more chapters to write, and then we are done…**

 **Reviews make our day….**

 **.**

 **See the box? It is the 'Small scale Writers Donation box'. Each review is a dollar. Leave a review. Feed the authors.**

 **.**

 **Be jerks to the jerks,**

 **Siofra (and Victoria, I suppose).**

.

*- Fun Fact! In the early days of the Church, when women weren't allowed to sing in the choir, if the choirboys sounded nice enough, they would be castrated so that they would always have that nice, high singing voice that was so valued. Ah, the things you learn in music….


End file.
